GSK Bags Barron As R&D Boss As Vallance Joins UK Government
Executive Summary
UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline has nabbed a high-profile figure from Google's Calico to head up its research efforts. Barron's oncology pedigree from his time at Roche suggests that cancer is again a core area for GSK.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC has pulled off a coup by poaching renowned cancer specialist and former research chief at Genentech Hal Barron from Google-backed Calico Life Sciences LLC to be its new president of R&D.
Barron will replace Patrick Vallance, who is to leave GSK to become the UK Government’s chief scientific adviser. The latter's departure had been widely rumored but the appointment of Barron has taken many in the industry by surprise.
He is currently president of Calico, the Alphabet-funded company focused on aging and related diseases. However, Barron is best-known for being chief medical officer and head of development at Genentech Inc. and subsequently Roche, where he played a significant part in helping it become an oncology powerhouse.
New R&D chief Hal Barron
GSK
During his time at Genentech and Roche, Barron oversaw the development of the blockbusters Avastin (bevacizumab) and Tarceva (erlotinib), the skin cancer drugs Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Erivedge (vismodegib), the HER2 breast cancer therapies Perjeta (pertuzumab) and Kadcyla (trastuzumab-emtansine) and the leukemia and lymphoma treatment Gazyva (obinutuzumab). He was also responsible for developing big-sellers in other areas, such as Actemra (tocilizumab) for rheumatoid arthritis, the asthma therapy Xolair (omalizumab) and Lucentis (ranibizumab) for wet macular degeneration.
Barron's credentials in cancer treatment are particularly noteworthy, given that GSK recently told Scrip that rumors it had left the oncology space were greatly exaggerated. In 2014, the company agreed to acquire Novartis AG’s global vaccines business for $5.25bn, divested its mature oncology business to the latter for $16bn, and formed a consumer health care joint venture with the Swiss major.
Last week, Axel Hoos, who heads oncology R&D at GSK, spoke to Scrip about GSK2857916, an anti B-cell maturation agent (BCMA) monoclonal antibody-drug conjugate which has received breakthrough therapy designation from the US Food and Drug Administration as a monotherapy in patients with multiple myeloma. He said that "this agent is the first potential blockbuster drug that comes from the new oncology portfolio at GSK," adding that "many people mistook [the Novartis] transaction as us exiting oncology. As you can see, that's not the case. We have been quietly incubating a new portfolio of agents."
Barron, who joins GSK Jan. 1, will be pleased to hear it. In a statement, he said he was "honored to have been chosen for this important position especially given the company’s renewed focus on discovering and developing transformational new medicines. GSK is a company with a rich history of innovation, with many talented scientists.”
Equally pleased is GSK’s chief executive Emma Walmsley and Barron's recruitment is a sign of her making a mark on the company where she took over the top job in April 2017. She said in a statement that "scientific innovation must be at the heart of GSK and with the appointment of Hal, we are bringing one of the world’s foremost R&D leaders to the company.”
Walmsley added that “the fusion of science and technology is fast transforming pharmaceuticals R&D. With Hal, we have a new R&D leader who will drive the changes and choices we need to make to be successful in this new environment, and as we look to build the next wave of growth for the company.”
Barron will work out of his present base in San Francisco, where GSK is creating a new office focused on business development for R&D. The company has also published details of his financial package which includes a base salary of $1.7m, an annual bonus also of $1.7m and long-term incentives worth over $4.2m.
Commenting on Barron's pending arrival, Datamonitor Healthcare analyst Ali Al-Bazergan said that “after a lukewarm quarterly earnings, this appointment sends a strong signal of intent towards GSK's future growth within pharma and a sharpened focus in oncology. Barron's wealth of experience within oncology provides GSK with the opportunity to compete again in the area as it directs investment towards its priority pipeline assets." (Also see "GSK Spotlights Three Impending Drug Launches In 3Q Update" - Scrip, 25 Oct, 2017.)
Vallance To Advise Prime Minister On Science
Meantime, his predecessor Vallance will leave at the end of March 2018, having joined GSK as head of discovery in 2006. The new job will see him responsible for providing scientific advice to the Prime Minister and advising the Government on aspects of policy on science and technology.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood said in a statement that "this is an excellent appointment for the Civil Service, in an important area of government business." He noted that Vallance, who is taking over from Sir Mark Walport, "has already advised the government on several occasions in his capacity as a member of the UK Ministerial Industry Strategy Group, so he is well placed to offer the best scientific advice available to the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet."
Vallance will be working again with his former boss, Sir Andrew Witty. Last week, the ex-GSK CEO was unveiled as chair of the UK government's Accelerated Access Collaborative, which will select a handful of breakthrough innovations – medical devices, diagnostics, drugs and digital products – which could reach patients up to four years earlier than under standard assessment procedures. (Also see "UK To Offer Firms More Flexible Commercial Deals On ‘Transformative’ Drugs, Earlier Access To Market" - Scrip, 5 Nov, 2017.)