Sanofi Pasteur head David Loew has been at the heart of the company's bids to develop vaccines for COVID-19 but has decided to accept a different challenge instead and take the helm at Ipsen.

Ipsen is to restart a global Phase III study of palovarotene in an ultra-rare bone disorder after additional analyses of interim data, but a partial clinical hold of the compound's use in patients aged under 14 years of age remains in place.

The French drugmaker's current product portfolio is performing well but a €669m charge relating to the failure of palovarotene for the rare bone disease FOP blighted Ipsen's financials.

The new Ferring-backed gene therapy company has bagged a big name player in David Meek as its CEO but the move has created a void at the top for France's Ipsen.