Pharnext appoints new CMO and head of R&D

French AI-driven drug combo specialist Pharnext (EPA: ALPHA) has announced the appointment of Dr Burkhard Blank as chief medical officer (CMO) and Head of Research & Development effective January 1, 2022.

Dr Burkhard Blank is an experienced leader in global drug development, medical and regulatory affairs, and pharmacovigilance with more than 25 years of industry experience. He joins Pharnext from Acorda Therapeutics where he held the position of CMO and head of R&D for the past six years. At Acorda, he notably oversaw the Phase III development being conducted in North America and in Europe for Inbrija in Parkinson’s disease with subsequent one cycle approvals by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

Dr Blank will continue to provide part-time consulting services to Acorda in 2022. Prior to this, Dr Blank served as CMO for several biopharmaceutical companies, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Herantis Pharma, and Mersana Therapeutics. While at Boehringer Ingelheim, he oversaw the submission of five New Drug Applications (NDAs) each of which subsequently resulted in FDA approvals and has also served as a strategic advisor to numerous biotech companies. Dr Blank received his medical degree from Universitaet Marburg, Germany, and is board-certified in internal medicine.