CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Servier, an independent international pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointments of Christian Schubert, Ph.D. and Rekha Paleyanda, Ph.D., as Directors of Servier BioInnovation along with the opening of the Servier BioInnovation office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The appointments of Dr. Schubert and Dr. Paleyanda, who will head Servier’s U.S. R&D and external innovation, and business development and licensing (BD&L) activities respectively, will operationalize the launch of Servier BioInnovation in the U.S. Located in the heart of one of the world’s leading biotechnology hubs in the Cambridge Innovation Center at Kendall Square, Servier BioInnovation will lead Servier’s expansion efforts into the U.S. innovation ecosystem.
“Servier BioInnovation represents Servier’s commitment to expanding its growing presence in the U.S. for the long-term through R&D and business development and licensing activities,” said Christophe Thurieau, Ph.D., Director of Research Centers and the Servier International Research Network (SIRN) at Servier’s R&D headquarters. “Christian Schubert and Rekha Paleyanda are established leaders in external innovation, business development and licensing in the biotechnology sector with deep experience in both academic research and commercial business development. The Boston area provides an amazing concentration of innovation, especially in the field of oncology, for partnerships that will advance science and build on Servier’s history as a leading global pharmaceutical innovator.”
Dr. Schubert joins Servier BioInnovation from Biogen, where he served as Director of Corporate Strategy, Business Development and External Innovation from 2015 to 2018. Prior to his time at Biogen, Dr. Schubert was Associate Director, Precision Medicine, Human Genetics and Computational Biomedicine at Pfizer from 2012 to 2015. He received his training in neurobiology and biochemistry at MIT and Harvard, where he held senior research and teaching positions. Dr. Schubert is an expert in health-related life science innovation, and serves as strategic advisor to multiple life science venture funds and startup companies.
Dr. Paleyanda joins Servier from the University of Massachusetts, where she was Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization. Prior to that, she held various roles of increasing seniority in the Innovation Office at Massachusetts General Hospital, Partners HealthCare. As Senior Business Strategy and Licensing Manager, she was responsible for managing strategic alliances, new venture creation, technology diligence and negotiating license agreements. Dr. Paleyanda holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and conducted Postdoctoral research at the J. Holland Lab for Biomedical Sciences, Rockville, MD. She is actively involved and volunteers for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and the Massachusetts Association of Technology Transfer Offices (MATTO).
Servier is present in the United States through academic collaborations including agreements with Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, partnerships with innovative biotechs and pharmaceutical companies throughout the U.S., as well as support for incubators such as LabCentral.
On April 16, 2018, Servier announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Shire to acquire its Oncology business. The acquisition allows Servier to establish an immediate and direct commercial presence in the United States. Closing of the transaction is expected in the second or third quarter of 2018 after obtaining authorizations from the competent competition authorities. Servier’s products will be commercialized in the United States through a newly-created subsidiary, Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC.
“Looking to the future, Servier is broadening the SIRN worldwide presence, by opening other locations with the next one being in Beijing, China,” concluded Didier Landais, Global Head of Licensing.
About Servier
Servier is an international pharmaceutical
company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in
France (Suresnes). With a strong international presence in 148 countries
and a turnover of 4.152 billion euros (U.S.$ 4.82 billion) in 2017,
Servier employs 21,600 people worldwide. Entirely independent, the Group
reinvests 25% of its turnover (excluding generic drugs) in research and
development and uses all its profits for development. Corporate growth
is driven by Servier’s constant search for innovation in five areas of
excellence: cardiovascular, immune-inflammatory and neuropsychiatric
diseases, cancer and diabetes, as well as by its activities in
high-quality generic drugs. Servier also offers eHealth solutions beyond
drug development.
More information: www.servier.com
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