Acadia replaces outgoing CEO with BMS exec

San Diego, USA-based drugmaker Acadia Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ACAD) has appointed Catherine Owen Adams to succeed Steve Davis as chief executive (CEO) and a member of its board of directors.

Acadia noted that Ms Owen Adams brings extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry to her new role as CEO of Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, she served as senior vice president and general manager, USA, at Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY),where she led a $20 billion commercial business, overseeing a large and diverse portfolio of promoted brands across oncology, cardiovascular and immunology. In this role, she led over 3,000 employees and major product launches in lung cancer, obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and psoriasis.

Before this, Ms Owen Adams held the position of senior VP, head of major markets at BMS, where she led commercial operations leading 6,000 employees across 19 countries in Europe, Japan, and Canada during BMS’ merger with Celgene. Under her leadership her teams achieved nine new product launches in oncology, CAR-T, hematology, and immunology, further solidifying her reputation as a global leader in the pharmaceutical space. Prior to her tenure at BMS, Ms Owen Adams spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) where she held leadership roles across global, USA, and European business units, with her last position being Dr resident, Janssen Immunology U.S.