Sanj K. Patel
Board of member
Infectious Diseases
Bio cryst
Sri Lanka
Biography
Sanj K. Patel is the Chairman and CEO of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, which was formed in 2015 to develop therapies for patients with devastating diseases and unmet medical need. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and has a combination of scientific, clinical and commercial skills. Sanj K. Patel created Synageva in June 2008 to focus on rare diseases, and designed and initiated its lead program (Kanuma®) for Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency (LAL Deficiency) in July 2008. Kanuma was approved globally in 2015 as the first therapy for patients suffering from LAL Deficiency. He took the company public on the NASDAQ Global Market in November 2011 and raised over $1 billion in capital in less than 5 years. In June 2015, Synageva was sold to Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $9.5B (including cash), which represented the highest premium ever paid for a biotech company valued over $5B. Prior to Synageva, he was at Genzyme Corporation (1999-2008) where most recently he was the head of U.S. Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations for Genzyme Therapeutics franchise and led the U.S. launch of Myozyme®, in addition to sales and marketing responsibility for Cerezyme®, Fabrazyme® and Aldurazyme®. Previously, Sanj held several cross-functional senior leadership roles at Genzyme, including Vice President, Clinical Research and Head of the Global Clinical Research Operations Council for all Genzyme divisions, including Therapeutics, Oncology and Transplant. He was responsible for clinical operations and development for all cross-business Genzyme products and was instrumental in the path to commercialization of several treatments. Notably, Sanj led the Fabrazyme® clinical operations team and development program to FDA approval in April 2003. Prior to Genzyme, Sanj held roles in clinical research and commercial operations with increasing levels of responsibility at Burroughs Wellcome, Hoechst Marrion Roussel and Fujisawa/Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Sanj obtained his BSc with Honors in Biotechnology from the University of the South Bank, London. He completed his management and business studies at Ealing College, London and his Pharmacology research program at the Wellcome Foundation. Sanj is a member of the Board of Directors for Syros Pharmaceuticals and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, both publicly traded biotechnology companies. He is also the founder and director of the Sanj K. Patel and Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports various charities supporting patients with rare and devastating diseases.
Research Interest
Sanj K. Patel is the Chairman and CEO of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, which was formed in 2015 to develop therapies for patients with devastating diseases and unmet medical need. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and has a combination of scientific, clinical and commercial skills. Sanj K. Patel created Synageva in June 2008 to focus on rare diseases, and designed and initiated its lead program (Kanuma®) for Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency (LAL Deficiency) in July 2008. Kanuma was approved globally in 2015 as the first therapy for patients suffering from LAL Deficiency. He took the company public on the NASDAQ Global Market in November 2011 and raised over $1 billion in capital in less than 5 years. In June 2015, Synageva was sold to Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $9.5B (including cash), which represented the highest premium ever paid for a biotech company valued over $5B. Prior to Synageva, he was at Genzyme Corporation (1999-2008) where most recently he was the head of U.S. Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations for Genzyme Therapeutics franchise and led the U.S. launch of Myozyme®, in addition to sales and marketing responsibility for Cerezyme®, Fabrazyme® and Aldurazyme®. Previously, Sanj held several cross-functional senior leadership roles at Genzyme, including Vice President, Clinical Research and Head of the Global Clinical Research Operations Council for all Genzyme divisions, including Therapeutics, Oncology and Transplant. He was responsible for clinical operations and development for all cross-business Genzyme products and was instrumental in the path to commercialization of several treatments. Notably, Sanj led the Fabrazyme® clinical operations team and development program to FDA approval in April 2003. Prior to Genzyme, Sanj held roles in clinical research and commercial operations with increasing levels of responsibility at Burroughs Wellcome, Hoechst Marrion Roussel and Fujisawa/Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Sanj obtained his BSc with Honors in Biotechnology from the University of the South Bank, London. He completed his management and business studies at Ealing College, London and his Pharmacology research program at the Wellcome Foundation. Sanj is a member of the Board of Directors for Syros Pharmaceuticals and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, both publicly traded biotechnology companies. He is also the founder and director of the Sanj K. Patel and Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports various charities supporting patients with rare and devastating diseases.
