ADARx Pharmaceuticals Appoints Dr. Donald Fong As Chief Medical Officer To Lead Phase 3 & Phase 2 Programs

ADARx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation RNA therapeutics, announced the appointment of Donald Fong, M.D., as its new Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Fong will guide the company’s overall clinical development strategy and oversee the execution of its ongoing Phase 3 and Phase 2 clinical trials, along with other programs in the pipeline.

Dr. Fong brings extensive experience as a physician-executive, having worked across a wide range of therapeutic areas including rare diseases, ophthalmology, immunology, infectious diseases, oncology, and metabolic conditions. Over the years, he has played key roles in moving innovative therapies from early research through advanced clinical stages. He has also led and built multi-specialty clinical and medical teams, giving him a strong background in both strategic leadership and hands-on clinical operations.

Dr. Zhen Li, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADARx, said that Dr. Fong’s appointment strengthens the company’s leadership team at an important time in its growth. According to Dr. Li, Dr. Fong’s deep clinical knowledge and proven ability to oversee programs across all stages of development will be highly valuable as ADARx continues to expand its therapeutic pipeline and progress its RNA-based medicines through late-stage trials.

Dr. Fong expressed enthusiasm about joining ADARx and contributing to the advancement of its clinical-stage programs. He noted that the company has built a strong and promising technology platform for next-generation siRNA therapeutics, with the potential to address significant unmet medical needs. He said he looks forward to working closely with the team to advance multiple programs and support the company’s mission of delivering meaningful RNA therapies to patients.

Prior to joining ADARx, Dr. Fong most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, where he led the clinical development of a broad portfolio, including plasma kallikrein inhibitors for hereditary angioedema (HAE) and treatments for diabetic macular edema. Before his role at BioCryst, he was vice president of ophthalmology clinical development at Annexon Biosciences, where he helped advance its program in geographic atrophy (GA) to Phase 3 trials.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Fong founded the clinical trials division at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, overseeing research for all medical and surgical specialties. Under his leadership, the oncology group at Kaiser became a leading national clinical trial site. He also developed and led the organization’s tele-ophthalmology and telemedicine program, and served as a clinical professor at the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. 

In addition, he has advised various U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committees and served as chair of the FDA’s Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee. Dr. Fong completed his residency and fellowship training at Harvard Medical School and earned his M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health. He received his M.D. from UT Health San Antonio and his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.