E. Morrey Atkinson, Ph.D., has been named Executive Vice President, Chief Technical Operations Officer, Head of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, and Head of Manufacturing Operations at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX), effective immediately.
Since July 2020, Dr. Atkinson has served as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Manufacturing and Supply Chain. This new position and function consolidates responsibility for small molecule, cell, and gene therapies across preclinical, clinical, and commercial biopharmaceutical sciences, manufacturing operations, and the worldwide supply chain.
E. Morrey Atkinson’s Previous Affiliations:
Prior to joining Vertex, Dr. Atkinson worked for Eli Lilly, Cook Pharmica, and, most recently, Bristol Myers Squibb, where he was Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations. Morrey has worked in the biopharmaceutical sector for more than 30 years, and has been involved in all phases of preclinical, clinical, and commercial manufacturing, including small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies. Dr. Atkinson earned a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University.
“Over the last three years, Morrey has played a vital role in building out our commercial manufacturing and supply chain capabilities and ensuring launch preparedness for the next wave of potential medicines,” said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Vertex. “By establishing this new Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Manufacturing Operations function under Morrey, a highly regarded leader with a strong track record of manufacturing excellence, we will further drive innovation and acceleration in developing, manufacturing and delivering our diverse pipeline spanning multiple modalities.”
“This is an exciting time at Vertex as we prepare for multiple potential, near-term commercial launches, progress our broad mid- to late-stage clinical pipeline, and advance research-stage programs toward the clinic,” said Dr. Atkinson. “We have an outstanding team in biopharmaceutical sciences, manufacturing and technical operations, and I am honored to lead them in this new role as we work to deliver our portfolio of innovative therapies across small molecules, cell and gene therapies.”
About Vertex:
Vertex is a multinational biotechnology business that invests in scientific research to develop breakthrough treatments for patients suffering from critical diseases. The company has numerous authorised medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare, life-threatening genetic condition, as well as other ongoing clinical and research programmes in the field. Beyond CF, Vertex has a robust clinical pipeline of investigational small molecule, mRNA, cell, and genetic therapies (including gene editing) in other serious diseases where it has a deep understanding of the causal human biology, such as sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, APOL1-mediated kidney disease, acute and neuropathic pain, type 1 diabetes, and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
