Daiichi Sankyo has announced the appointment of Marielle Cohard-Radice, M.D., as executive vice president, global head of Development. 

In her new role, Dr. Cohard-Radice will report to Glenn Gormley, M.D., Ph.D., senior executive officer and global head, R&D, Daiichi Sankyo and chairman of the board and president, Daiichi Sankyo, and will have responsibility for the development strategy and portfolio planning for the cardiovascular-metabolism and internal medicine therapeutic areas. Global Oncology research and development will continue to be led by Antoine Yver, M.D., MSc, who was appointed executive vice president earlier this year. Marielle's team will be responsible for supporting the oncology clinical development group. 

"Dr. Cohard-Radice brings more than 25 years of experience and success in the global development of medicines," said Dr. Gormley. "Marielle is a proven leader who simultaneously drives accountability and collaboration across global teams, always with a keen focus on the needs of patients." 

"I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead our development organization into the future," said Dr. Cohard-Radice. "Our global Five-Year Business Plan is aggressive and achievable and I am confident that we will deliver on the commitment we make each day to patients."

The former global head of Development, Mahmoud Ghazzi, M.D., Ph.D., has decided to leave Daiichi Sankyo. "Dr. Ghazzi's contributions at Daiichi Sankyo are most appreciated and we wish him all the best in his new endeavors," Dr. Gormley said.

Prior to her promotion, Marielle Cohard-Radice was vice president of Clinical Development Operations at Daiichi Sankyo Pharma Development, a position she held since 2012. In her role she was responsible for providing the strategy and oversight of clinical operations, medical writing and quality management functions. Marielle concurrently served as Managing Director of European Development for Daiichi Sankyo since December 2015.

Before joining Daiichi Sankyo Pharma Development, Marielle held positions at Aptalis Pharma, Axcan Pharma, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Schering Plough Research Institute. During her tenure at these organizations she built in-depth expertise in global leadership, strategic decision-making for clinical development and operations, medical affairs and drug safety in multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to working in the pharmaceutical industry, Marielle was an assistant professor of gastroenterology at Michallon Hospital, Grenoble, France and spent two years as a Visiting Scientist at the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute at the New York Blood Center.