BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Resignations at Aviron

February 22, 1999 8:00 AM UTC

Aviron said the resignations of two managers of its scientific team will have no effect on the company's ongoing FluMist bridging study, as neither executive was directly involved with the study of the influenza vaccine, which has completed enrollment. C. Jo White resigned as senior vice president of medical affairs and Martin Bryant resigned as vice president of research.

"The bridging study remains on track," said Chairman and CEO J. Leighton Read. AVIR (Mountain View, Calif.) has completed enrollment of 225 patients in the study, which is being conducted as a result of the FDA's refusal-to-file letter for the intranasal vaccine ( see BioCentury Extra, Sept. 2, 1998). Read anticipates a resubmission in the summer or fall. According to Read, White supervised Paul Mendelman, vice president of clinical affairs who has direct responsibility for all of AVIR's clinical trials, and Victor Jegede, vice president of technical affairs. Bryant was responsible for early stage development, Read said, and thus also was not directly involved in the FluMist study. Bryant resigned in December to become executive vice president of R&D at Novirio Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Cambridge, Mass.). His position will be filled this year by Ann Arvin, a member of AVIR's scientific advisory board who is on sabbatical from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Meanwhile, Read said, "there is no urgent need to fill Dr. White's position." - Steve Edelson ...