Sanofi has selected Xaira Therapeutics’ Chief Medical Officer Paulo Fontoura to serve as research and development head as Houman Ashrafian leaves the company, according to a June 22 announcement. Fontoura will assume his role as executive vice president and global head of R&D pharma starting September 1. He will report to CEO Belén Garijo, who succeeded Paul Hudson in April as Sanofi prepares for a significant revenue gap expected when the patent for its immunology drug Dupixent expires in 2031.
Fontoura replaces Ashrafian, who was with Sanofi for less than three years and has "decided to pursue an opportunity outside the company," according to the French drugmaker. The leadership change follows recent developments within Sanofi’s pipeline, including discontinuation of a late-stage complement inhibitor drug earlier this month and mixed results from Phase 3 trials of its rare disease therapy venglustat announced in February.
Analysts have not been surprised by these changes. Leerink Partners said in a note to investors that “recent R&D disappointments and new CEO Belen Garijo’s agenda to enhance Sanofi’s pipeline prospects” contributed to expectations around the move.
Fontoura is a neurologist who most recently held a post at AI-driven Xaira Therapeutics, which launched in 2024 with $1 billion aimed at developing therapeutics for difficult-to-treat conditions. Before joining Xaira, he spent more than 15 years at Roche in various senior leadership roles. In a prepared statement, Fontoura said, “I am thrilled to join Sanofi at such an exciting moment. In recent years, Sanofi has established a leadership position in immunology and built strong positions in several other areas of significant unmet medical need, while demonstrating a clear commitment to scientific innovation and AI-powered transformation.”
Sanofi aims “to become the first biopharma company powered by AI at scale,” using artificial intelligence across research and development, manufacturing, and supply chains. The company operates an 'AI Centre of Excellence' in Toronto and recently invested $294 million into expanding jobs at that site.
