Founder El-Hibri to retire from Emergent

Fuad El-Hibri, founder and executive chairman of Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS), will retire on April 1, having been CEO for almost 14 years and executive chairman for a decade. El-Hibri founded the company as BioPort in 1998 with a single product, BioThrax anthrax vaccine adsorbed, and took it public in 2006. Under his leadership, the company expanded its portfolio to include products to counter smallpox, botulism, the opioid crisis and the pandemic, producing 120 million dose-equivalents of COVID-19 vaccine. Emergent said it expected to name a new chair of the board of directors ahead of El-Hibri’s retirement, and that it anticipated El-Hibri availing himself to effect the transition. 

Founding CEO Vincent Sandanayaka will transition to the role of president and CSO at Nirogy Therapeutics Inc. He will be succeeded by Simon Pedder, who was most recently chief business and strategy officer at Athenex Inc. (NASDAQ:ATNX) and will also join Nirogy’s board. Backed by Santé Ventures and Sporos, Nirogy is developing small molecules targeting cellular transporters to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company hopes to submit its first IND this year...