CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGIO), a leader in the field of cellular metabolism pioneering therapies for rare diseases, today announced that Catherine Owen has been appointed to its board of directors, effective June 13, 2023. Agios also announced that, following a collaborative succession planning process, John Maraganore, Ph.D., who has served as a valuable board member and advisor to the company since 2011, will step down from the board of directors, effective immediately, and that Kaye Foster, who has served as a member of the board of directors since 2014, will assume the role of lead independent director.
“Catherine has an illustrious track record of delivering value to patients around the world through her leadership of U.S. and global market commercialization strategies and teams at well known, large pharmaceutical companies. Her expertise will be a tremendous asset to Agios as we strive to transform the lives of patients with PK deficiency, thalassemia, sickle cell disease, myelodysplastic syndromes and beyond,” said Brian Goff, chief executive officer of Agios.
“We would also like to express our gratitude to John for nearly a dozen years of dedicated service to our board. With his extensive background and experience in our industry, including his former role as founding CEO of Alnylam, a company he successfully built and grew into a global, leading RNAi company, he has been a significant contributor to our success and a trusted advisor to the management team and other board members. We wish him all the best in his current and future endeavors,” continued Mr. Goff. “We are also thrilled to have Kaye step into her role as lead independent director. She has added tremendous value to Agios over her long tenure, and we will continue to benefit from her insights and expertise.”
Ms. Owen brings to Agios nearly 30 years of experience in the industry and deep expertise in commercializing transformative medicines both in the U.S. and globally. In her current role as senior vice president and general manager, U.S. commercialization at Bristol Myers Squibb, Ms. Owen leads the company’s cardiovascular, immunology and oncology U.S. commercialization efforts, which contributed more than one-third of the company’s total revenue in 2022 exceeding $17 billion, and oversees a team of more than 2,500 employees. Prior to her current role, Ms. Owen was senior vice president, major markets, at Bristol Myers Squibb, responsible for the company’s business in the largest global markets including Europe, Japan and Canada. In this role, she also led multiple new product launches in multiple sclerosis, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, renal cancer and ulcerative colitis.
Previously, Ms. Owen was a senior executive at Johnson & Johnson. During her more than 25 years there, she held leadership roles in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and corporate innovation in the U.K., the U.S., Europe and global organizations. In her last role, she was president, immunology, U.S. at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, leading brands such as Stelara, Remicade, Simponi and Tremfya, serving patients within the areas of dermatology, gastroenterology and rheumatology. Ms. Owen has an honors degree in pharmacy from the University of Manchester, U.K., is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and obtained a post-graduate diploma in marketing from the University of London. She has received numerous awards including the Medical Marketing and Media (MM+M) Hall of Femme Award in 2020 and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary Award in 2018.
“Agios is at an exciting and critical juncture, with two potential near-term launches in thalassemia and sickle cell disease, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to maximizing the impact of Agios’ innovations for patients around the world,” said Ms. Owen. “I look forward to partnering with the rest of the board and the leadership team as the company enters this catalyst-rich period and beyond.”
“It’s been an honor to serve on the Agios board for nearly a dozen years. Over this time, the company brought three transformative medicines to patients with hematologic malignancies and rare diseases, and I couldn’t be more proud of the Agios team for these remarkable accomplishments,” said Dr. Maraganore. “I am excited about the future for Agios, and I look forward to continued progress in the years to come.”
About Agios
Agios is a biopharmaceutical company that is fueled by connections. The Agios team cultivates strong bonds with patient communities, healthcare professionals, partners and colleagues to discover, develop and deliver therapies for rare diseases. In the U.S., Agios markets a first-in-class pyruvate kinase (PK) activator for adults with PK deficiency, the first disease-modifying therapy for this rare, lifelong, debilitating hemolytic anemia. Building on the company’s leadership in the field of cellular metabolism, Agios is advancing a robust clinical pipeline of investigational medicines with programs in alpha- and beta-thalassemia, sickle cell disease, pediatric PK deficiency and MDS-associated anemia. In addition to its clinical pipeline, Agios has a PAH stabilizer in preclinical development as a potential treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU) and deep scientific expertise in classical hematology. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.agios.com.
