Levicept strengthens leadership team

UK biotech Levicept, which is focused on the development of LEVI-04, a first-in-class treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), today announced the appointment of James Sandy as chief development officer (CDO).

Mr Sandy brings over 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries covering a wide range of therapeutic areas and development phases I to IV. Most recently he was CDO at F-star Therapeutics where he was responsible for setting the strategy and overseeing the delivery, execution and management of multiple concurrent oncology clinical trials and broader development strategy. Prior to F-star, he held CDO roles at Ellipses Pharma, Immunocore (Nasdaq: IMCR) and Creabilis Pharmaceuticals. His earlier career was at AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) in a variety of senior roles. Over his career, Mr Sandy has taken several drugs to MAA/BLA filing including Celebrex for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) pain.

Previously a consultant to Levicept, as part of the executive leadership team, Mr Sandy will be responsible for supporting the chief executive, previous F-star and Immunocore colleague, Eliot Forster, and chief scientific officer and co-founder Simon Westbrook in steering the development of LEVI-04 as well as assisting in a broad range of due diligence and funding activities.