Speaking of Vertex

The biotech company that turned the concept of precision medicine into a multibillion-dollar business will soon carry on without the CEO who got it there.

Jeffrey Leiden, who took over Vertex during some lean years, will step down next year, to be replaced by current Chief Medical Officer Reshma Kewalramani, who joined the company in 2017 after more than a decade at Amgen.

Kewalramani inherits a lucrative cystic fibrosis business, but also questions about the company’s future. Vertex has embarked upon research in rare diseases, genome editing, and treating pain, but none has yet emerged as a clear path toward a third act.

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