PAH Drug Developer Bellerophon Therapeutics Names Jonathan Peacock Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Bellerophon Therapeutics, a biotherapeutics company working on a therapeutic treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, announced yesterday that Jonathan Peacock has been appointed chairman and chief executive officer.

A graduate in Economics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Peacock, who will replace Daniel Tassé in the role of chairman and CEO, served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Amgen from 2010 to January this year. Prior to that, he served at Novartis Pharmaceuticals as chief financial and administrative officer, from 2005 to 2010. He was also a partner at McKinsey and Co. from 1998 to 2005 and at Price Waterhouse from 1993 to 1998.

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In a news statement regarding his appointment, Peacock said he is “excited to join Bellerophon,” as he believes the company has “great potential,” particularly in the development of three innovative first-in-class programs due to enter Phase 3 trials in the next 12 to 18 months.

One of these projects is currently in Phase 2 and evaluating the drug INOpulse in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, which Pulmonary Hypertension News reported on last month. Shortly after, INOpulse’s effect has also been evaluated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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Bellerophon acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the INOpulse programs in PAH, PH-COPD and pulmonary hypertension associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from Ikaria in February 2014, as part of Ikaria’s spin-out of certain of its research and development assets and subsidiaries.

The company’s team is “delighted” and looking forward to working with Jonathan Peackock, since he “brings great leadership skills, broad industry experience and deep expertise in a range of areas.”