Science and technology research and development business PureTech, which has hatched programs spanning digital health and life sciences, has added former Sanofi CEO Christopher Viehbacher to its board, according to a company statement. It follows an aggressive fundraising campaign that has raised $107 million in four months.
The move gives PureTech a high profile, big pharma veteran. Viehbacher served at Sanofi for six years until his departure in October last year. Prior to that he worked for GlaxoSmithKline for 20 years, and ultimately headed up its North America operations.
PureTech’s board includes a few other veterans from pharma companies such as Merck, Pfizer and Millennium Pharmaceuticals.
Among the 12 companies in PureTech’s pipeline are Akili Interactive Labs, which is a collaboration between game designers and neuroscientists to spot signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions. Gelesis is developing a treatment for obesity.
