Savara has announced the resignation of Badrul Chowdhury as Chief Medical Officer, effective September 9, 2022. Chowdhury, a former Director of the FDA’s Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Rheumatology Products, joined Savara as CMO in November 2019. The company did not cite any reason why Chowdhury was leaving the company or any indication of what he planned to do next.
In June 2020, Savara initiated the Phase 3 IMPALA-2 clinical trial of its molgramostim inhaled recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for the treatment of autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP). A previous Phase 3 IMPALA study of molgramostim for aPAP failed to meet its primary endpoint. The news of Chowdhury’s resignation comes one day after the company announced that molgramostim has received PIM designation from the MHRA.
Savara Chair and CEO Matt Pauls stated, “We appreciate Dr. Chowdhury’s contributions during his tenure with the company. His leadership helped progress our molgramostim nebulizer solution (molgramostim) development program through some important milestones and we wish him well in the future.”
Chowdhury said, “I am pleased to have been part of the Savara team and wish the company success in the continued development of molgramostim for the treatment of the rare lung disease autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. I leave Savara with continued confidence in the pivotal Phase 3 IMPALA-2 trial.”
Read the Savara press release.
