R. Keith Woods has been appointed chief operating officer, argenx. Mr. Woods will be responsible for all aspects of early commercial planning for the company’s lead candidate efgartigimod (ARGX-113), including marketing, market access, program management and supply chain operations.

Mr. Woods has more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently he served as senior vice president of North American Operations for Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he managed a team of several hundred people in the U.S. and Canada and was responsible for more than $1 billion in annual sales. Prior to that he served as vice president and managing director of Alexion UK, vice president of U.S. Operations, and executive director of sales, leading the launch of Soliris in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.  

“We are thrilled to welcome Keith to our team and know that his leadership in building out commercial organizations will offer invaluable insights to argenx as we continue to execute on our business strategy,” said Tim Van Hauwermeiren, chief executive officer of argenx. “We expect to launch our first pivotal trial of efgartigimod this year, marking an important milestone in our clinical development program where the unique operational experience that Keith offers will be vital.”