FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) today announced that Merdad Parsey, MD, PhD, will join the company as Chief Medical Officer, effective November 1. Dr. Parsey will be responsible for the company’s global clinical development and medical affairs organizations. He will join the company’s senior leadership team and will report directly to Daniel O’Day, Gilead’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under a new structure, William Lee, PhD, Gilead’s Executive Vice President, Research will separately report to Mr. O’Day.
Dr. Parsey joins Gilead from Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, where he currently holds the position of Senior Vice President, Early Clinical Development in the Genentech Research and Early Development (gRED) group. In this role, he leads clinical development, quality, compliance, informatics and clinical operations functions. He brings to Gilead significant clinical expertise across a broad array of therapeutic areas, including inflammation, oncology and infectious diseases.
“I am delighted to welcome Merdad, a seasoned and highly respected scientist, clinician and leader, to Gilead,” said Mr. O’Day. “Throughout his career, he has built a reputation as an outstanding leader among academic, industry and medical communities alike. I know Merdad’s exceptional skills and expertise will be of great benefit to Gilead as we focus on rapidly expanding our pipeline and clinical development portfolio through internal efforts and external partnerships.”
Prior to his most recent tenure with Genentech, Dr. Parsey served as President and CEO of 3-V Biosciences. He has also held development roles at Sepracor, Regeneron and Merck, Inc. and has served as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Critical Care Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Parsey completed his MD and PhD at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, his residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford University and his fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado.
“I have had many opportunities over the course of my career to help shape clinical development strategies and programs, and I am profoundly excited to bring those experiences to Gilead, an organization I have long admired,” said Dr. Parsey. “I am looking forward to working with the company’s talented teams to advance clinical development programs and build a robust pipeline that has the opportunity to change the trajectory of disease and transform the care of many more people in need around the world.”
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.
For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences) or call Gilead Public Affairs at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000.