CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) today announced the appointment of Eugene Schneider, M.D., as executive vice president and chief clinical development officer. In this role, Dr. Schneider will oversee clinical development of novel antisense medicines across all of Ionis' therapeutic franchises. He will report to Richard S. Geary, Ph.D., Ionis' executive vice president and chief development officer, and serve on the company's executive team.

Since joining Ionis in 2013, Dr. Schneider has played a key role in more than 20 clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and globally. He is an accomplished biopharmaceutical industry veteran with two decades of experience leading global medical and scientific affairs and the development and commercialization of medicines to treat a range of disorders, including pediatric, rare and central nervous system diseases.

"Dr. Schneider's proven track record overseeing successful studies, assessing risk-benefit profiles of investigational medicines and providing consistent clinical due diligence in safety reporting will strengthen Ionis' industry leadership as we expand our portfolio of wholly owned and partnered medicines and build our commercial organization to maximize the value of our rich pipeline," said Dr. Geary.

"I am excited to join Ionis' talented executive team and look forward to continuing my work with them and all Ionis employees who are deeply committed to delivering potentially transformative medicines to patients who depend on us," said Dr. Schneider.   

Before joining Ionis, Dr. Schneider was senior medical director, clinical research and development at Synageva BioPharma, where he developed a novel enzyme replacement therapy for Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency from its first-in-man study to registration. Prior to Synageva, he was senior medical director, medical and scientific affairs at Biovail Technologies Ltd., where he was primarily responsible for the development and commercialization of a diverse portfolio of medicines designed to address patient needs related to central nervous system disorders.

Dr. Schneider received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his training in pediatric and adolescent medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

ABOUT IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. 
As the leader in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development, Ionis has created an efficient, broadly applicable, drug discovery platform called antisense technology that can treat diseases where no other therapeutic approaches have proven effective. Our drug discovery platform has served as a springboard for actionable promise and realized hope for patients with unmet needs. We created the first and only approved treatment for all patients, children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy, as well as the world's first RNA-targeted therapeutic approved for the treatment of polyneuropathy in adults with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. Our sights are set on all the patients we have yet to reach with a pipeline of more than 40 novel medicines designed to potentially treat a broad range of disease, including neurological, cardio-renal, metabolic, infectious, and pulmonary diseases.

To learn more about Ionis visit www.ionispharma.com and follow us on twitter @ionispharma.

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SOURCE Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Investor Contact: D. Wade Walke, Ph.D., Vice President, Investor Relations, 760-603-2741; Ionis Pharmaceuticals Media Contact: Roslyn Patterson, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, 760-603-4679