SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Acadia Pharmaceuticals today announced that Catherine Owen Adams has succeeded Steve Davis as Chief Executive Officer and joined the Acadia Board of Directors.
“We are excited to welcome Catherine Owen Adams as the new CEO of Acadia,” said Stephen Biggar, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Directors. “Catherine is a proven global leader with a distinguished record of accomplishment of driving growth and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Her strategic vision, deep expertise, and unwavering commitment to improving patient outcomes make her the ideal leader to guide Acadia through its next phase of growth and continue to build the value of Acadia, which is a company approaching $1 billion in sales with a compelling pipeline of medicines in development. We are confident that under Catherine’s leadership, Acadia will capitalize on its strengths and expand its impact on the treatment of central nervous system disorders and rare diseases.”
Dr. Biggar continued: “On behalf of the Board and Company, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Steve Davis for his exceptional leadership and for the significant success Acadia has achieved during his tenure as CEO. Steve led the approval and commercialization of NUPLAZID and the development, approval and launch of DAYBUE. His contributions to the biopharmaceutical industry will have a lasting impact on patients’ lives for years to come.”
“I am thrilled to join Acadia at such a pivotal and dynamic time for the company,” said Catherine Owen Adams, CEO. “Acadia’s rich history of innovation and its steadfast commitment to improving patients’ lives deeply resonate with my own passion for advancing healthcare. I am inspired by the energy and dedication of the team, and I look forward to working together to drive future growth in our commercial franchises and to accelerate the pipeline, forge new partnerships, and continue delivering impactful therapies that push the boundaries of scientific discovery. I am excited to lead Acadia through its next chapter of innovation and success.”
“Catherine’s deep commercial and global expertise is a perfect fit to execute on Acadia’s mission to elevate the lives of underserved patients and families who suffer from disorders where no drugs have previously been approved,” said Mr. Davis. “I am excited about the future of Acadia and our commitment to these patient groups.”
Catherine Owen Adams brings extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry to her new role as CEO of Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, U.S., at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where she led a $20 billion commercial business, overseeing a large and diverse portfolio of promoted brands across Oncology, Cardiovascular, and Immunology. In this role, she led over 3,000 employees and major product launches in lung cancer, obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and psoriasis. Before this, Ms. Owen Adams held the position of Senior Vice President, Head of Major Markets at BMS, where she led commercial operations leading 6,000 employees across 19 countries in Europe, Japan, and Canada during BMS’s merger with Celgene. Under her leadership her teams achieved 9 new product launches in Oncology, CAR-T, Hematology, and Immunology, further solidifying her reputation as a global leader in the pharmaceutical space. Prior to her tenure at BMS, Ms. Owen Adams spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) where she held leadership roles across global, U.S., and European business units, with her last position being President, Janssen Immunology U.S. Over her career at J&J, she gained deep experience in marketing, sales, market access, R&D, and internal ventures across both the Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology sectors. Ms. Owen Adams began her career in R&D and manufacturing at AstraZeneca after earning a BSc. in Pharmacy from the University of Manchester, becoming a qualified pharmacist and member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (MRPhS). Currently, Ms. Owen Adams serves on the board of directors of Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly held company, and AssistRx, a privately held company. Ms. Owen Adams was formerly on the board of directors and chair of the compensation committee for Optinose PLC, a public specialty pharmaceutical company, and was on the board of directors of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospitals, a non-profit organization.
About Acadia Pharmaceuticals
Acadia is advancing breakthroughs in neuroscience to elevate life. For 30 years we have been working at the forefront of healthcare to bring vital solutions to people who need them most. We developed and commercialized the first and only FDA-approved drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis and the first and only FDA-approved drug for the treatment of Rett syndrome. Our clinical-stage development efforts are focused on Prader-Willi syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis and multiple other programs targeting neuropsychiatric symptoms in central nervous system disorders. For more information, visit us at Acadia.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
