Isis Names Akcea CEO

Isis Pharmaceuticals has appointed Paula Soteropoulos as president and chief executive officer of Akcea Therapeutics, Isis’ lipid franchise subsidiary responsible for the development and commercialization of ISIS-APOCIII, ISIS-APO(a), ISIS-ANGPTL3, and its more potent LICA follow-ons.
 
Ms. Soteropoulos will use her expertise to advance Isis’ novel lipid franchise through development and commercialization. She will also serve as a member of Isis’ leadership team.
 
Ms. Soteropoulos has held a number of leadership positions in the pharma and biopharma industries. Most recently she served as senior vice president and general manager cardiometabolic, rare diseases and strategic alliances at Moderna Therapeutics. Ms. Soteropoulos also spent 21 years at Genzyme, where she was instrumental in advancing new products from discovery through clinical development and commercialization. Additionally, she led manufacturing process development, strategic capacity planning and supply chain development.
 
“I have previously worked with and have respected Paula for many years and look forward to her contributions to our team, especially as we take this next step in the evolution of our business strategy. Her expertise and knowledge of the severe and rare/cardiovascular space coupled with her business development and global marketing background is ideally suited for leading Akcea,” said B. Lynne Parshall, chief operating officer at Isis Pharmaceuticals.