Cobimetinib Veteran Takes CMO Role at Pasithea's NF1 Program

Pasithea Therapeutics is positioning its PAS-004 macrocyclic MEK inhibitor program under leadership with direct FDA approval experience in the same drug class, a strategic alignment that carries weight as NF1-targeted therapies attract growing regulatory and pipeline scrutiny. Kartik Krishnan, M.D., Ph.D., assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer effective May 1, 2026, bringing over 20 years of clinical development, regulatory affairs, and pharmacovigilance experience to the clinical-stage company.

Krishnan's tenure at Genentech is the most operationally relevant credential for Pasithea's current stage. He contributed to the U.S. and European approval of cobimetinib (Cotellic) in 2015 for BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma in combination with vemurafenib, and subsequently advanced cobimetinib into monotherapy indications including Langerhans cell histiocytosis, for which it received approval in 2022. That regulatory pathway -- extending a MEK inhibitor from an initial oncology indication into rare and pediatric disease settings -- mirrors the strategic trajectory Pasithea has outlined for PAS-004 in NF1-associated plexiform and cutaneous neurofibromas.

PAS-004 is described by the company as a next-generation macrocyclic MEK inhibitor intended for RASopathies and MAPK pathway-driven diseases. Krishnan noted that PAS-004 has demonstrated a differentiated pharmacokinetic profile that may offer an improved balance of safety, tolerability, and efficacy -- parameters that have historically defined the clinical viability of MEK inhibitors in pediatric populations, where tolerability thresholds are tighter and long-term exposure data are closely scrutinized by regulators.

Prior to joining Pasithea, Krishnan served as CEO of OncoNano Medicines and CMO at Arcus Biosciences, with earlier roles at Astex Pharmaceuticals, Five Prime Therapeutics, BioMarin, and Amgen. He holds an M.D. and Ph.D. from Columbia University, with doctoral work focused on JAK/STAT signaling, and completed pediatric hematology and oncology training at Johns Hopkins and the National Cancer Institute. Before entering industry, he held a faculty position in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona.