BenevolentAI's new CEO will be tasked with successfully guiding the biotech through the clinic. Last year was rocky for a number of the first AI-based biotechs that entered the clinic, including BenevolentAI. But a new year spells new hope and the company has a fresh captain to try and steady the ship.
That new CEO is Joerg Moeller, M.D., Ph.D., who has moved across from LEO Pharma, where he led R&D since 2021. But arguably more important are the nearly 20 years he spent at Bayer, ascending from the head of strategic development of the cardiovascular unit to chief of global R&D for the German pharmaceutical giant. Moeller “is a well-known and respected figure within the target stakeholders of BenevolentAI,” the company said in its Jan. 24 announcement. Benevolent's chairman François Nader also praised Moeller as a “strong advocate of AI as a driver of discovery innovation and effectiveness.” Ultimately, Benevolent is banking on Moeller’s ability to effectively and efficiently steer the company through the clinic after a midstage failure last year. The biotech reported in April that its pan-Trk inhibitor, BEN-2293, didn't improve eczema severity or itching compared to placebo, prompting the company to walk away from the asset. The pivot also led Benevolent to lay off 180 employees.