Agios Pharmaceuticals Appoints Biopharma Veteran Dr. Jay Backstrom To Board of Directors

Agios Pharmaceuticals has appointed Dr. Jay Backstrom, M.D., M.P.H., to its Board of Directors, reinforcing the company’s strategic focus on rare disease therapeutics. Dr. Backstrom is a veteran biopharma executive known for guiding drug programs across multiple therapeutic areas to regulatory approval, particularly within rare disease portfolios. Dr. Backstrom will serve on Agios’ Science and Technology Committee.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jay to the Agios Board of Directors. His deep scientific insight, extensive regulatory expertise, and strategic business leadership come at a pivotal time for Agios, as we work to maximize the full potential of PYRUKYND (mitapivat), our first-in-class PK activator, and advance our growing pipeline of rare disease medicines,,” said Brian Goff, Chief Executive Officer, Agios.

Dr. Backstrom brings a wealth of leadership experience from across the pharmaceutical industry. He most recently served as CEO of Scholar Rock, where he led a strategic realignment of the pipeline and progressed a spinal muscular atrophy treatment through Phase 3 and toward regulatory submissions in the U.S. and Europe. Prior roles include executive leadership at Acceleron Pharma and Celgene Corporation. 

“It is an honor to join Agios’ Board of Directors and work alongside such a talented group as the company enters its next phase of commercial growth and innovation. Agios is laser-focused on redefining the future of rare disease treatment, driven by a maturing and expanding pipeline of promising innovative medicines. Having followed the company’s progress and collaborated with several members of the leadership team and Board in the past, I am eager to contribute to advancing its inspiring mission,” said Dr. Backstrom. 

At Celgene, he played key positions in R&D and regulatory affairs and was a key figure in the approval of drugs in beta thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. His joining the boards of the Agios is presumed to help the firm to maintain its invention and expansion in the field of cellular metabolism and PK activation remedies.