Philadelphia gene therapy company Passage Bio appointed Dr. Will Chou, former Novartis executive, as its new CEO.
Chou last served as vice president and global disease leader at Novartis, where he oversaw the global commercial launch of Kymriah, the Penn-invented CAR T-cell therapy drug, which was the first of its kind to be approved by the FDA.
Passage Bio was founded in 2017 by Dr. James Wilson, who leads Penn’s gene therapy program and orphan disease center, and pharmaceutical industry veterans Stephen Squinto, co-founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and the late Dr. Tadataka “Tachi” Yamada, a former executive at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline. The company is focused on developing gene therapies for central nervous system disorders
“I am thrilled to join the talented team at Passage Bio and build upon the company’s many accomplishments and impressive capabilities,” Chou said in a statement provided by the company. “With three ongoing clinical programs, we are poised to deliver multiple meaningful milestones over the coming quarters.”