Ionis Appoints Clinical Development EVP

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has appointed Eugene Schneider, M.D., as executive vice president and chief clinical development officer. Dr. Schneider will oversee clinical development of novel antisense medicines across all of Ionis' therapeutic franchises. He will report to Richard S. Geary, Ph.D., Ionis' executive vice president and chief development officer, and serve on the company's executive team.

Since joining Ionis in 2013, Dr. Schneider has played a key role in more than 20 clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and globally. He is an accomplished biopharmaceutical industry veteran with two decades of experience leading global medical and scientific affairs and the development and commercialization of medicines to treat a range of disorders, including pediatric, rare and central nervous system diseases.

Prior to Ionis, Dr. Schneider was senior medical director, clinical research and development at Synageva BioPharma, where he developed a novel enzyme replacement therapy for Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency from its first-in-man study to registration. Prior to Synageva, he was senior medical director, medical and scientific affairs at Biovail Technologies Ltd., where he was primarily responsible for the development and commercialization of a diverse portfolio of medicines designed to address patient needs related to central nervous system disorders.

"Dr. Schneider's proven track record overseeing successful studies, assessing risk-benefit profiles of investigational medicines and providing consistent clinical due diligence in safety reporting will strengthen Ionis' industry leadership as we expand our portfolio of wholly owned and partnered medicines and build our commercial organization to maximize the value of our rich pipeline," said Dr. Geary.