BMS appoints new chief scientific officer

Hannah Blake

pharmaphorum

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Francis Cuss is to be the company’s new executive vice president and chief scientific officer from July 1st 2013 when Elliot Sigal retires.

Dr Sigal has served as BMS’ chief scientific officer for the past nine years and has been on the company’s Board of Directors since 2011. He will retire from both positions effective June 30th 2013, but until then will continue to work together with Francis Cuss.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this talented R&amp,D team to fulfill our mission and find new ways to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines for patients with unmet medical needs.”

Francis Cuss.

Dr Cuss joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2003 as senior vice president of drug discovery, adding further responsibility for Discovery Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology in May 2006. Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr Cuss spent 14 years at Schering-Plough and three years at Glaxo, holding positions of increasing responsibility in discovery, clinical research and medical affairs in both the US and Europe.

In other news, BMS has announced it will be presenting 14 abstracts of its research in liver disease at The International Liver Congress 2013 at the end of April. The event is held in Amsterdam and is the 48th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

“Bristol-Myers Squibb has a longstanding commitment to viral hepatitis and has been at the forefront of the evolving science in both hepatitis B and C. The data we are presenting at the International Liver Congress demonstrate our continued advancement of research to address unmet medical needs, through the development of regimens for personalized hepatitis C treatment and increasing options to treat hepatitis B.”

Brian Daniels, MD, senior vice president, Global Development and Medical Affairs, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb.