Founded by UK life sciences venture capital firm Medicxi, Centessa Pharmaceuticals is headed up by industry heavyweights. Saurabh Saha, who was formerly Bristol Myers Squibb Company’s head of R&D, has taken the helm as CEO, while GlaxoSmithKline plc veteran and the outgoing scientific head Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, has been appointed chief scientific officer.
“There are significant improvements in R&D productivity that still need to happen, and that’s on improving success rates, timelines and cost,” said Saha
Saha, who is also a member of Centessa’s board of directors, emphasized his hope that the company would bring forth societal benefits by increasing success rates, lowering the cost of drug development and reducing time it takes to get new treatments