Akcea Therapeutics lures GSK exec to leadership team

Akcea Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKCA), a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IONS), today announced that Lisa Johnson-Pratt has joined the company as senior vice president of new product strategy.

In this role, Dr Johnson-Pratt will drive Akcea’s corporate strategy and provide strategic support for the development and commercialization of new pipeline products. She will report to Damien McDevitt, interim chief executive officer at Akcea.

Dr Johnson-Pratt has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry including leadership positions in marketing, operations and clinical research and development. Previously Dr Johnson-Pratt was with GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK), where she most recently served as vice president of global franchise operations. She joined GSK as head of pipeline and oncology commercial strategy and also served as marketing director of innovative assets at Stiefel Laboratories, a GSK company. Prior to GSK, Dr Johnson-Pratt worked at Merck & Co for more than 17 years, holding several leadership roles including most recently business unit director, Vietnam. She is also the founder of Ananias Ventures, which provides counsel and support for female professionals in a range of industries including the life sciences industry.