Vor Bio has handed Dallan Murray a swift return to the workforce. Weeks after being let go by Sarepta Therapeutics, Murray has landed the chief commercial officer post in Vor’s new-look C-suite.
Sarepta ended Murray’s employment last month as part of a 36% reduction in its workforce and wider push to cut costs. Murray, who worked as chief customer officer at Sarepta, received an almost $550,000 payoff and a $400-per-hour consulting agreement that ran into January. Vor moved quickly to offer Murray an alternative.
Effective immediately, Murray will apply his 25 years of experience in commercial strategy and product launches to Vor’s telitacicept. The dual-target fusion protein, which is already approved in China, is in phase 3 development in the U.S. as a treatment for the autoimmune disease generalized myasthenia gravis.
Vor Bio CEO Jean-Paul Kress, M.D., said in a statement that Murray’s “track record of building high-performing commercial organizations and executing successful product launches will be instrumental as we prepare for potential commercialization of telitacicept and shape our broader growth strategy.”
The appointment to Vor’s executive team reunites Murray with Sandy Mahatme. Murray’s 12 years at Sarepta overlapped with Mahatme’s time at the company, as Mahatme was chief business and financial officer at Sarepta when Murray was vice president of marketing.
Murray and Mahatme form half of a C-suite that Vor has rebuilt quickly in recent months to support a sharp change in direction.
In May, the biotech announced plans to lay off 95% of its staff and begin winding down its operations after analyzing its clinical data and the funding environment. The following month, Vor made quite the U-turn as it struck a deal to license telitacicept and unveiled a $175 million private placement.
Kress, fresh from leading MorphoSys to a $2.9 billion buyout, came on board as CEO to lead the resurrected Vor. Since then, the biotech has appointed Mahatme as chief business and financial officer and named Qing Zuraw, M.D., chief development officer.