As Bicara Therapeutics lines up for a potential accelerated cancer drug approval next year, the biotech has appointed Chris Sarchi as its chief commercial officer.
Sarchi joins Bicara after a three-and-a-half-year stint at cancer drugmaker Replimune. Just last month, the biotech laid off hundreds of employees after the FDA rejected its melanoma drug.
Before that, he spent five years at French Big Pharma Sanofi in oncology and transplant roles in the U.S., as well as five years at German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim.
Sarchi comes to Bicara at a pivotal point in the company’s history. In 2024, the biotech raised $362 million in an IPO to fund trials for its lead asset, a bifunctional antibody dubbed ficerafusp alfa.
The drug is currently being evaluated in a pivotal phase 2/3 trial in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that Bicara plans to use to support an accelerated approval filing with the FDA next year.
If approved, the drug would shift Bicara beyond its current R&D focus and into a fully fledged commercial biotech. Sarchi has now joined to help lead that transition.
Writing on LinkedIn, Sarchi said he was joining Bicara as the company’s first chief commercial officer after a career spent building and leading commercial organizations focused on bringing meaningful treatments to patients, providers and caregivers.
“Joining Bicara represents the next exciting chapter – a chapter that begins with a very talented team, strong scientific foundation, and the opportunity to help advance innovative treatments for patients with significant [unmet] needs.”