AbbVie names new research and development chief

North Chicago-ased AbbVie has named Michael Severino, M.D. its new Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer.

Dr. Severino's track record of innovation within the biotech industry aligns with AbbVie's vision as a new biopharmaceutical leader with a rapidly emerging pipeline.

Dr. Severino's responsibilities include leading the R&D, Medical Affairs and Regulatory Affairs organizations at AbbVie. Globally, AbbVie has more than 7,000 people in the collective scientific organization dedicated to discovering and developing a steady stream of new medicines for patients. Severino will bring insights and expertise from his career spanning genomics and development within the biotech industry.

At Amgen, Dr. Severino most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, leading the clinical development strategy across therapeutic areas including inflammation/immunology, neuroscience, oncology and cardiovascular disease, among others. In his 10 years with the company, he held numerous roles of increasing responsibility across the R&D organization. Prior to his tenure at Amgen, Dr. Severino held increasing levels of responsibility in biologics and genomics research at Merck.

"AbbVie is pleased to welcome Dr. Severino to our new company," said Richard A. Gonzalez, chairman and chief executive officer, AbbVie. "We are fortunate to have a leader of his caliber to steer our efforts to develop treatments for today's toughest health challenges. He will be instrumental in moving our pipeline and strategy forward."

"AbbVie's reputation as a leader in health care is well recognized," said Michael Severino, M.D. "I am impressed by the quality of the people, the science and the pipeline and I am honored to be a part of the new company."