Akcea Therapeutics, Inc., a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has promoted Kyle Jenne to chief commercial officer. This promotion is part of Akcea’s strategy to expand operations and to further invest in the TEGSEDI (inotersen) and WAYLIVRA (volanesorsen) launches globally, and new antisense assets to support the potential in-licensing of additional investigational therapies.

“Kyle has the depth of experience necessary to help us build on our momentum as a global organization, execute on our current launches, and plan for new commercial opportunities in the years ahead. Having had a key role in building our commercial organization over the last two years, Kyle also is very familiar with the hATTR and FCS communities and is committed to both the clinician and patient communities we serve,” said Damien McDevitt, Ph.D., Akcea’s interim chief executive officer.

Mr. Jenne joined Akcea in May 2017 as the U.S. commercial head and built the company’s first sales force and executed the launch of TEGSEDI in the U.S. With two decades of commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, he has led the build-out and leadership of organizations in many therapeutic areas. Mr. Jenne has held leadership positions at Acorda Therapeutics, Pfizer, and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and was responsible for the design, development and implementation of patient support programs and payer strategies in the U.S. for rare disease products.