After four years at AstraZeneca, Chief Medical Officer Sean Bohen will be leaving the company following an organizational shakeup at the U.K.-based pharma giant. Bohen joined AstraZeneca from Genentech in 2015 and also serves as head of global medicines development.
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After four years at AstraZeneca, Chief Medical Officer Sean Bohen will be leaving the company following an organizational shakeup at the U.K.-based pharma giant.
Bohen joined AstraZeneca from Genentech in 2015 and also serves as head of global medicines development. However, last week during the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot announced a redesign of its organization in order to innovation and commercial successes in its main therapy areas. The reorganization includes the development of R&D and commercial units in the company’s biopharmaceuticals (cardiovascular, renal & metabolism (CVRM) and respiratory) area and in oncology. As part of the change, Soriot announced some leadership changes to spark innovation in those areas, including the appointment of former Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Chief Medical Officer José Baselga as the new head of oncology research and discovery.
As part of the restructuring, Bloomberg reported over the weekend that Bohen will also be leaving the company. His departure is the latest in a number of AstraZeneca executives who have left. Mark Mallon, AstraZeneca’s head of product and portfolio strategy, took over the reins of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals. Also, Bahija Jallal, the former head of MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s global biologics research and development arm, left the company to helm Immunocore Limited.
While no hard exit date was provided, Bloomberg reported that Bohen will leave AstraZeneca following the transition that Soriot announced last week. The changes that Soriot announced not only include changes for the R&D side of things, but also mirrored commercial units that will align product strategy and commercial delivery across those areas of focus. Soriot said the decision was made as AstraZeneca expects a period of sustainable growth over the next several years.
“This new structure will support growth and sharpen the focus on our main therapy areas, speeding up decisions and making us more productive in our mission to bring innovative medicines to patients,” Soriot said in a statement.
For Bohen, as of now, there have been no visible efforts from other companies to poach him. But that won’t likely remain the case. Under his guidance, AstraZeneca has successfully brought a number of new drugs to market, including the PARP inhibitor Lynparza and oncology drug Tagrisso. Also during Bohen’s tenure, AstraZeneca saw both its cardiovascular drug Brillinta and diabetes drug Farxiga hit blockbuster status last year. His successes at AstraZeneca will make him an attractive hire for many companies that have a strong focus on oncology development.
While executive departures are not uncommon, Bloomberg noted that AstraZeneca has seen more than its fair share in recent years. Not only have Mallon and Jallal left the company this month, but Ludovic Helfgott also left in October. Helfgott headed up the company’s diabetes and kidney treatments. He was tapped by Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk as its biopharma unit head. In 2017 Luke Miels left AstraZeneca for a role at rival U.K. drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline. Miels was the first big hire by new GSK Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley. While at AstraZeneca, Miels was head of Global Product & Portfolio Strategy, Business Development & Licensing, Corporate Affairs, Global Medical Affairs, as well as Pricing and Market Access.
