Veteran pharmaceutical govt Jean-Pierre Garnier to steer Board as BioAge progresses metabolic illness pipeline.
BioAge Labs, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm specializing in metabolic ailments by way of the lens of human getting older, has introduced the appointment of Jean-Pierre Garnier, PhD, as the brand new Chair of its Board of Administrators. This strategic choice will elevate hypothesis that the corporate could also be positioning itself for an preliminary public providing (IPO), a transfer that may considerably improve its visibility and market impression. Garnier, a former Chief Government Officer of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), brings to BioAge many years of management expertise within the pharmaceutical business – a crucial asset as the corporate advances its late-stage medical packages and prepares for potential enlargement.
Kristen Fortney, PhD, CEO and co-founder of BioAge, emphasised the importance of this appointment. “We’re excited to welcome JP to BioAge’s Board of Administrators as Chair,” she mentioned. “His in depth expertise in main biotech and pharmaceutical firms by way of crucial development phases will likely be invaluable as we progress our lead compound, azelaprag, by way of medical growth for weight problems and advance our pipeline of metabolic getting older therapies.”
Fortney additionally took the chance to acknowledge the contributions of outgoing Chair James Healy, MD, PhD, who will stay on the Board as a Director.
“I might additionally like to precise our deep gratitude to Jim, whose management as Chair has been pivotal throughout an important interval of development for BioAge,” she mentioned. “We’re happy that he’ll proceed to contribute his experience in medical growth and drug technique as a key member of our Board.”
Garnier’s appointment comes at a time when BioAge is gaining traction within the subject of metabolic ailments, an space of accelerating curiosity as the worldwide weight problems epidemic continues to develop. The corporate’s lead product, azelaprag, is an orally administered small molecule agonist of the APJ receptor, which has proven promise in early medical trials by selling metabolism and stopping muscle atrophy. A Section 2 trial of azelaprag, together with tirzepatide for weight problems remedy, was initiated in mid-2024, with hopes that this remedy might amplify weight reduction and enhance physique composition in sufferers already receiving incretin-based therapies.
The corporate’s efforts prolong past azelaprag; BioAge’s analysis pipeline additionally contains orally obtainable small molecule inhibitors concentrating on NLRP3, a key driver of neuroinflammation, positioning the corporate as a possible chief in addressing age-related metabolic and neurological ailments. By leveraging human longevity knowledge, BioAge has developed a platform that gives novel insights into the biology of getting older – insights that underpin the corporate’s pipeline of preclinical packages.
Garnier, whose profession within the pharmaceutical business spans a number of many years, served as CEO of GSK from 2000 to 2008, the place he performed a pivotal position within the merger between Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. He has additionally held senior govt positions at SmithKline Beecham and Schering-Plough. His board expertise is in depth, having served as Chairman of Actelion, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2017 for $30 billion, in addition to holding non-executive Chair positions at Alzheon, Idorsia and Carmat. Garnier is at the moment the Chairman of Cellectis SA and sits on the Board of Administrators for Service International Company. He additionally brings a distinguished tutorial background, with a PhD in pharmacology from Louis Pasteur College and an MBA from Stanford College; his achievements have been acknowledged by way of honors such because the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the Officier de la Légion d’Honneur.
Commenting on his new position, Garnier expressed enthusiasm for the corporate’s path: “This can be a transformative period for the remedy of weight problems and cardiometabolic ailments, and I’m excited to assist BioAge because it leads the best way with revolutionary approaches that would reshape the way forward for affected person care,” he mentioned. “I look ahead to working alongside Kristen and BioAge’s proficient management staff to completely understand the potential of azelaprag and advance the corporate’s earlier stage pipeline to deal with ailments that restrict healthspan for big affected person populations.” Garnier’s remarks mirror an optimism not just for BioAge’s present trajectory but in addition for the broader potential impression of its therapeutic candidates that would prolong each healthspan and lifespan.
James Healy, who has guided BioAge by way of an important interval of development and transformation, commented: “It has been a privilege to function Chair of BioAge’s Board of Administrators and lay the muse for the corporate’s transformation as a late-stage medical firm. I look ahead to persevering with on BioAge’s Board as a Director whereas lending my full assist to JP in his new position.” Healy’s ongoing involvement ensures continuity of management throughout what’s prone to be a crucial interval in BioAge’s evolution.
The appointment of Garnier additionally hints at bigger strategic strikes for BioAge because it continues to evolve from a clinical-stage biotech right into a extra mature entity, doubtlessly setting the stage for an IPO. Such a transfer wouldn’t be unprecedented for a corporation at this stage in its growth, significantly as BioAge builds momentum with its promising medical packages and continues to refine its method to metabolic getting older therapies.
As BioAge progresses by way of this new section of management beneath Garnier, the corporate’s give attention to treating metabolic ailments by concentrating on the biology of getting older stays clear. Azelaprag and the corporate’s broader pipeline signify alternatives to deal with vital unmet wants in affected person care – particularly in getting older populations the place metabolic circumstances usually compound different well being points. Ought to BioAge proceed to display medical success, its potential within the biopharmaceutical house may very well be appreciable; for now, we think about that every one eyes will likely be on how BioAge’s management staff leverages this experience each to convey new therapies to market and to gasoline the corporate’s development ambitions.
