Sanofi has appointed Dr Ameet Nathwani to the newly-elevated position of executive vice president, group chief medical officer and member of its executive committee.
Dr Nathwani will take up the role on 1 May, succeeding Dr Paul Chew who has served as senior vice president, chief medical officer since January 2013 and plans to retire later this year.
Oliver Brandicourt, Sanofi’s chief executive officer, said: “Our industry is experiencing increased pressure to support reimbursement with customized data from real-world evidence, demonstrate ongoing benefit-risk of registered products through continuous scientific data generation, and ensure that data are effectively and transparently communicated.
“In order to shape Sanofi’s strategy and enhance our world class medical capabilities to address these challenges we have elevated the role of chief medical officer to the executive committee.”
As chief medical officer Dr Nathwani will be responsible for the pharmaceutical firm’s medical, patient safety and medical quality assurance as well as the transparency and compliance standards of Sanofi’s work with healthcare providers, patients and medical organisations.
He brings over 20 years of pharmaceutical experience to the role, having first joined Glaxo Group Research in 1994 and held increasingly senior positions during his time at the group, including vice president of cardiovascular clinical development.
Dr Nathwani joined Novartis in 2004 as its senior vice president and global development head of the cardiovascular and metabolic franchise. He currently serves as Novartis’ global head of medical affairs.
Brandicourt added: “We are very happy to count on Ameet’s strong experience in both development and medical fields.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Chew for his many valuable contributions to Sanofi. During his long-standing career, Paul has been a highly valued and key Sanofi leader who has strong medical leadership.”