Ipsen appoints Michelle Werner as North America head

Ipsen has appointed biopharma industry veteran Michelle Werner to lead its North America business, as it pushes an ambitious growth strategy powered by intense dealmaking across oncology, rare diseases and neuroscience.

Werner is replacing Keira Driansky, who is "leaving the company to pursue external opportunities" after two years in the role, according to Ipsen.

Werner is joining the French-headquartered group from US biotech Alltrna, a specialist in transfer RNA (tRNA) therapeutics for genetic diseases, where she has served as president and chief executive since 2022.

Her departure from Flagship Pioneering-backed Alltrna was reported a few days ago, alongside a major reduction in its headcount at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company, which is now being led by president and chief financial officer Joanne Protano.

Werner will report directly to Ipsen CEO, David Loew, who said she "brings a wealth of experience in leading teams both in the US and around the world and has a deep understanding of the US and all the great opportunities that this market offers for Ipsen at a moment when we are accelerating the growth of our portfolio."

He also said that Werner's 25-year-plus pharma career – which includes senior positions at Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, and Novartis – gives her direct and relevant experience of Ipsen's core therapeutic areas.

Her CV includes spells as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lead at BMS, brand leader for some of the company's HIV therapies, head of AZ's cancer division in the US, president of AZ's Nordics & Baltics unit, and solid tumour franchise head at Novartis.

"I am thrilled to be joining the executive leadership team and look forward to leading Ipsen's operations and teams in the US at such a fascinating moment of the company's transformation," said Werner.

"Joining a company that brings together two therapeutic areas where I have deep passion and expertise, such as rare diseases and oncology, is one of those unique opportunities that comes at the right time in my journey."

Ipsen reported sales growth of nearly 11% last year in its recent fourth-quarter update, adding that it expects that rate to accelerate to 13% in 2026, although it is facing competition to its big-selling acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumour (NET) drug Somatuline (lanreotide) from generic lanreotide products and has just had to withdraw blood cancer therapy Tazverik (tazemetostat) from the market due to safety concerns.

The company has been steadily building its pipeline of late through a series of acquisitions and licensing agreements, such as a €1 billion takeover of ImCheck Therapeutics and a $1 billion deal to claim rights to an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for cancer developed by China's Simcere Zaiming.