Source – Pfizer
Pfizer has unveiled significant executive leadership changes aimed at advancing its commitment to research and development of new medicines and vaccines, particularly in the field of oncology.
Pfizer is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Chris Boshoff as Chief Oncology Research and Development Officer and Executive Vice President, who will now be part of Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team. Reporting directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla, Dr. Boshoff will lead the charge in Pfizer’s ongoing battle against cancer. In this capacity, he will take full responsibility for overseeing the entire oncology pipeline, spanning from discovery through early and late-phase clinical development.
Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, expressed his excitement about Dr. Boshoff’s addition to the executive team, emphasizing the need to accelerate the delivery of groundbreaking cancer treatments worldwide. With cancer impacting the lives of approximately 1 in 3 people in the United States, Pfizer believes that Dr. Boshoff’s expertise as a physician-scientist will propel the company’s ambitious pursuits in cancer research.
Prior to this role, Dr. Boshoff played a crucial role in overseeing clinical research and product development within Pfizer’s Oncology portfolio, which included 24 approved cancer medicines and biosimilars across more than 30 indications. Additionally, he led Pfizer’s Rare Disease portfolio, which featured innovative medicines across four therapeutic areas. Before his time in the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Boshoff served as Director of the University College London (UCL) Cancer Institute. His extensive background includes a medical degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, a PhD from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and medical oncology training at the Royal Marsden and Royal Free Hospitals in London. In addition to his new responsibilities, Dr. Boshoff is also leading the integration planning for Seagen’s medicines and team.
As part of further organizational changes, Dr. Mikael Dolsten, currently Chief Scientific Officer & President, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical, will now expand his role to encompass all discovery and clinical development activities for non-oncology therapeutic areas. As the Chief Scientific Officer and President of Pfizer Research & Development, Dr. Dolsten will oversee end-to-end processes for areas such as Vaccines, Inflammation and Immunology, Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, as well as non-malignant hematology and rare neuromuscular diseases.
In light of these leadership transitions, William Pao, Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President, will be departing Pfizer in the coming month to pursue new opportunities outside the company. Pfizer acknowledges Mr. Pao’s outstanding leadership and dedication to maintaining rigorous scientific standards and patient-centric decision-making within the Global Product Development (GPD) organization.
In March, Pfizer announced its intention to acquire Seagen, with the expectation of finalizing the deal pending all necessary regulatory approvals. The acquisition aims to create a leading force in the fight against cancer. The executive changes announced today align with Pfizer’s vision for the potential combined organizations and are seen to benefit the company in its current stand-alone structure. Pfizer is firmly committed to fostering innovation and competition in the ongoing battle to defeat cancer. Until the anticipated close of the acquisition, which is expected in late 2023 or early 2024, both Pfizer and Seagen will continue to operate independently.
