Hugh Cole has left his role at Shire to join Ariad Pharmaceuticals as chief business officer.
In this role Cole will report to CEO Dr Harvey Berger and will be responsible for the company’s global business and corporate development, licensing and strategic planning.
Cole spent seven years at Shire, most recently as senior VP, strategic planning and programme management. Prior to this he was a global franchise lead and VP, business development.
At Shire he gained experience in the orphan drugs market, which will benefit Ariad as it prepares to grow its portfolio of drugs targeted to treat rare, difficult-to-treat forms of cancer.
This includes its only current marketed product Iclusig, which is recommended to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia and T315I-positive Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
The appointment of a chief business officer is a sign of confidence from Ariad, which last year faced safety concerns about Iclusig, but has since seen the drug backed by both the EMA and the FDA, although with new safety recommendations.
CEO Berger said: “[Cole] will be integral in seeking business and corporate development opportunities for Ariad, including a commercial partnership for Iclusig in Japan, as well as helping to further maximise our oncology pipeline.”