AstraZeneca R&D chief Briggs Morrison makes an unexpected exit
Briggs Morrison, the executive vice president for R&D at AstraZeneca and a major player in the pharma company's turnaround attempt over the past three years, is leaving the pharma giant, FierceBiotech has learned.
Staffers were buzzing this morning that Morrison's abrupt departure was left unexplained, as CEO Pascal Soriot spread the word that he would be stepping in to run R&D in the interim. A spokesperson confirmed the exit this morning.
Morrison was named one of three key executives to be put in charge of R&D at AstraZeneca at the beginning of 2013, just after Soriot stepped in in the wake of David Brennan's exit and booted Martin Mackay from the top spot. Soriot eliminated the old title of president of R&D, naming Morrison, Mene Pangalos in the U.K. and Bahija Jallal, head of the big MedImmune subsidiary to a top-level troika that would steer research operations at the pharma giant.