BRIEF—Akcea appoints new chief operating officer

Akcea Therapeutics, a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, has recruited Alex Howarth as chief operating officer.

Mr Howarth, formerly president at autoimmune and oncology specialist Lycera, has around 25 years of experience in healthcare and financial advisory roles at various companies.

Chief executive Damien McDevitt commented: “His experience aligns well with our goals as we continue to invest in our two commercial-stage products and our promising pipeline of novel drugs positioned to address major areas of unmet need in health in the years ahead.”