Photographer: Thos Robinson / Getty Images
Photographer: Thos Robinson / Getty Images
José Baselga, a renowned cancer physician who led AstraZeneca Plc’s oncology research and development division, has passed away.
Baselga, a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research, died of Creuzfeldt-Jacob disease, a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease, according to a Spanish news report. He was 61.
Baselga has led the development of AstraZeneca’s cancer drugs since Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot offered him in 2019 in his bid to transform the drugmaker into a leader in the lucrative field. The company invested nearly $ 7 billion in a drug from Daiichi Sankyo Co. that year. that Baselga studied extensively at a leading medical center in the US.
“He put our oncology R&D function on a remarkable journey,” Soriot said in a statement statement Sunday. “His visionary leadership, deep scientific expertise and strategic insight have produced so many achievements that we can all be proud of and that will benefit patients’ lives for years to come.”
Baselga defended the company’s work with Daiichi-Sankyo in the clinical development of two cancer drugs: Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) and datopotamab deruxtecan. He led a team to accelerate science in antibody-drug conjugates, cell therapy, epigenetics and new cancer treatments, the company said.
Baselga, arriving at AstraZeneca with limited business experience, was a controversial choice. He had just quit his previous job as a chief physician at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after it was reported in the news that he had received payments from the pharmaceutical industry.
– With help from John Lauerman