Sirtris’ Westphal finds new drug discovery role at GSK

Anti-aging biotech company Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. had one of the last big exits of 2008, when GlaxoSmithKline PLC bought the Cambridge-based company in April for $720 million. At the time, GSK announced it would keep all of Sirtris’ staff in place, including founding CEO Christoph Westphal. But GSK decided it had an additional use for Westphal, and appointed him, along with Sirtris’ vice president of corporate development Michelle Dipp, to head its new Centre of Excellence for External Drug Discovery (CEEDD) in order to assist in new drug discovery development outside of GSK.

Mass High Tech staff writer Marc Songini sat down with Westphal, a serial entrepreneur who has also co-founded three other Massachusetts biotechnology firms — Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Acceleron Pharma Inc. — and discussed the new role.

Q: Can you tell us about your role since the buyout?
Westphal: I’m still running Sirtris as an independent Drug Performance Unit (DPU) — these are small groups in GSK that work from discovery through collecting Phase 2 data. It feels like I’m still running a biotech company. Also, the moment we were purchased, they put me on the GSK investment board, where each DPU presented its three-year plan, similar to a biotech company pitching a venture capitalist for an investment.

Q: Can you talk about your most recent appointment?
Westphal: My new role is as a senior vice president of GSK’s Centre of Excellence for External Drug Discovery (CEEDD). The CEEDD spends $100 million a year to pay for research and for access to cool, new science. These involve licensing deals with royalties, typically worth $10 million to $80 million, and with options for specific compounds to go into GSK.

Q: What sorts of things are you looking for?
Westphal: If I knew what the next hot thing was, I’d be doing it. There are two kinds of flavors I like. I’m always interested in cool science, such as Sirtris or Alnylam. I’m interested in therapeutics or technology platforms. One type of company GSK will look at is a platform company with the potential to make drugs by targeting the sirtuin enzymes.

Q: Are the large pharmaceutical companies looking to become more entrepreneurial?
Westphal: I think there’s something about innovation that seems to occur naturally or more efficiently in a smaller organization. Basically you’re able to either innovate or die. Something is lost when you’re part of a large company with billion and billions in cash flow. These large companies are trying to access this innovation by making bets on little biotechs.

Q: How does a potential partner approach you?
Westphal: I always stay in touch with Harvard and MIT professors. Sometimes I say: “Maybe this needs sharpening — is the science important? Could it be important?” I’m great with e-mail and always return them. I don’t want to waste anybody’s time. What I like are folks with a clean, clear vision with the top priority they intend go after.

Q: You see Boston as still being a great place for biotech, yes?
Westphal: We like the idea of having Boston innovation with GSK financing. One industry that is world class in Boston is biotechnology. There are hundreds of companies here with the world’s greatest concentration of research, amazing money managers, and unusual sources of capital.

Q: What’s different in the pharmaceutical world versus biotech?
Westphal: It takes longer to make decisions, as there are hundreds of people involved. At GSK, executives are able to have the perspective that in 10 years they’ll have this drug in that market. In biotech, it’s hard to have that vision.

Q: How has the success of Sirtris affected you?
Westphal: The curious thing is that when you have money in your back pocket, everyone thinks you have great ideas. I’m interested in problems — doing things where everyone said, “This won’t work.”


Source: masshightech.com