Pfizer has found a successor for Chief Scientific Officer and R&D head Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., tapping the company’s own Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D., for the job and prompting a domino-effect of leadership changes.
Dolsten’s exit is no surprise, with his retirement announced this summer after spending more than 15 years with the New York-based drugmaker. Chief Oncology Officer and Executive Vice President Boshoff will take on Dolsten’s position at the start of the new year, according to a Nov. 20 release.
Before serving as Pfizer’s chief cancer officer, Boshoff was the company’s chief development officer for oncology and rare disease. Prior to that, he served as head of development in Japan. He’s clocked in more than 11 years at Pfizer and served as founding director of the University College London Cancer Institute before joining the Big Pharma.
“Dr. Boshoff is the ideal leader to propel Pfizer’s R&D engine forward and transform it into a world-leading organization with a more focused strategy, driving the delivery of additional impactful breakthrough medicines with blockbuster potential,” Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla, Ph.D., said in the company release. “Under Chris’ leadership, oncology has become one of Pfizer’s most productive divisions and his continued supervision will ensure that we achieve our goal of being a global leader in oncology and other core therapeutic areas.”
In the meantime, Chief Development Officer of Oncology Roger Dansey, M.D., will start as interim chief oncology officer on Jan. 1, 2025. Dansey, who joined Pfizer via last year’s $43 billion Seagen acquisition and previously served as the ADC specialist’s chief medical officer and interim CEO, will help Boshoff choose a permanent leader for Pfizer’s head cancer job.
Dansey’s responsibilities as chief development officer of oncology will be handed down to Johanna Bendell, M.D., who is joining Pfizer in 2025. Bendell currently serves as Roche’s global head of oncology, pharma research and early development.