BUFFALO GROVE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel treatments for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, today announced that Terrie Curran will be appointed Chief Executive Officer effective upon the closing of the acquisition of Celgene Corporation by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. She has also been appointed to Phathom’s Board of Directors. Ms. Curran will succeed David Socks as part of a planned transition. Mr. Socks will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer until Ms. Curran joins and will then serve as interim Chief Financial Officer and continue to serve as a member of the Board. Phathom also announced the appointments of Michael Cola, Heidi Kunz, and Chris Slavinsky as members of the Board.
“We are thrilled that Terrie will be joining Phathom as CEO. She is a widely respected biopharmaceutical leader with an impressive track record of building organizations and commercializing novel therapeutics, including the launch and global growth of OTEZLA®,” said Tachi Yamada, M.D., Chairman of Phathom. “We also welcome the leadership and deep healthcare experience of Mike, Heidi, and Chris as we advance our programs through late-stage development.”
“Phathom is well positioned with vonoprazan, a late-stage GI therapeutic, that has achieved clinical and commercial success in Japan,” said Terrie Curran. “I am excited to be joining as CEO at such an important time for the company as vonoprazan advances into Phase 3 studies later this year.”
Ms. Curran has more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She has served as President, Global Inflammation and Immunology (I&I) Franchise and as a member of the Executive Committee at Celgene Corporation since 2017. Ms. Curran joined Celgene in 2013 as the U.S. Commercial Head of the I&I Franchise and built the capabilities and recruited the teams that executed the successful launch of OTEZLA®. Prior to joining Celgene, she served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Women’s Health at Merck & Co. She currently serves on the board of Myovant Sciences and previously served on the board of H. Lundbeck A/S. Ms. Curran holds graduate and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Ms. Kunz retired as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Blue Shield of California. She previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gap, Inc., Chief Financial Officer of ITT Industries, Inc., and Treasurer of General Motors. Ms. Kunz holds a B.S. from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She also serves on the board of Agilent Technologies and Avanos Medical.
Mr. Cola currently serves as President, Chief Executive Officer, and director of Aevi Genomic Medicine. Prior to joining Aevi, he served as President, Specialty Pharmaceuticals at Shire plc. Previously, Mr. Cola served as President of the life sciences group for Safeguard Scientifics, where he also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clarient and Chairman of Laureate Pharma. In addition, Mr. Cola has held senior positions at AstraMerck and AstraZeneca where he played a key role in the development and commercialization of both PRILOSEC® and NEXIUM®. Mr. Cola received a B.A. in biology and physics from Ursinus College and an M.S. in biomedical science from Drexel University. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Sage Therapeutics and Vanda Pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Slavinsky serves as Vice President, Takeda Center for External Innovation and Head, Gastroenterology Business Development, Externalization and Special Projects. Previously, Chris served in a number of capacities at Pfizer, including as Chief Counsel of several Pfizer business segments. Mr. Slavinsky received a J.D. from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, an M.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Thomas Jefferson University, and a B.S. in biochemistry from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He also serves on the Board of Directors at ARTham Therapeutics.
About Phathom
Phathom Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel treatments for gastrointestinal diseases. For more information about Phathom, visit the company’s website at www.phathompharma.com.
OTEZLA® is a registered trademark of Celgene Corporation. PRILOSEC® and NEXIUM® are registered trademarks of AstraZeneca.
