Eiger BioPharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:EIGR) appointed Dr. David Apelian as chief operating officer and executive medical officer.
Dr. Apelian’s clinical development and regulatory experience spans 17 years between large pharma and biotechnology companies in all phases of development, ranging from discovery to registration, across multiple therapeutic areas, including gastroenterology, hepatology, immuno-oncology, infectious diseases and rare diseases.
In a statement, David Cory, president and CEO, said Dr. Apelian’s background and experience would be invaluable to Eiger in this new operating role as Eiger transforms from a mid-stage proof-of-concept company into a late-stage biotechnology company.
“Dr. Apelian has already added great value to Eiger since joining the company’s board of directors in June 2017, and we expect his transition to operating executive in the company to be swift and immediately impactful,” he added.
Dr. Apelian was most recently EVP and CMO of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, a position he held since 2013. At Achillion, he was responsible for creating portfolio strategy and managing the company’s clinical development programs. He was instrumental in securing a partnership between Achillion and J&J, which resulted in a $225-million equity investment.
