Overview

Gender

male

Azmi Nabulsi, a physician and public health professional, is a seasoned global corporate executive with a successful track record in pharmaceutical research and development. He is currently Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Frazier Healthcare Partners in Palo Alto, CA. This followed a 14-year career at Takeda Pharmaceuticals marked by industry-leading innovations and transformational accomplishments.

At Takeda, he served as both the deputy chief medical and scientific officer of Company Limited, one of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and R&D head of strategic and professional affairs. In these roles, he led all R&D medical and operations functions, oversaw a $3 billion global portfolio, and managed a staff of over 1000 and budget of $450 million.

During his 14-year career at Takeda, in the U.S. and Japan, Azmi Nabulsi has overseen global drug development for both early and late stage agents, bringing the majority of Takeda’s 21 new drugs in multiple therapeutic areas and countries to market from 2005 to 2015. He is also responsible for the design and execution of the company’s major R&D transformation utilizing industry-leading approach to drive innovation; in addition, he led the creation of the first global Biotechnology Innovation Park in Japan. Azmi Nabulsi has led or directed partnerships and alliances in oncology, immunology, and cardiovascular medicine and metabolism. His impact extends to investor relations, regulatory affairs, crisis management and stakeholder relations, including patient advocacy.

From 2009 to 2013, Azmi Nabulsi played a key role in transforming Takeda’s organization and culture following acquisitions of Millenium, Nycomed, and TAP. From 2006 to 2009, Azmi Nabulsi worked in Japan as the company’s general manager of strategic development, where he oversaw global development and regulatory strategy for all Takeda products as well as portfolio strategy and R&D alliance management. He was also instrumental in the globalization efforts of Takeda R&D. From 2004 to 2006, Azmi Nabulsi held leadership positions in R&D Operations.

Azmi Nabulsi is a member of the boards of directors of the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research. He previously served on the board of directors for the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition, iBio Institute, and Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy and has held academic appointments in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Minnesota.

Azmi Nabulsi has an M.D. from Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, and a M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota. His professional affiliations include the Chief Medical Officers Executive Summit & Roundtable; International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR); American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO); and the American Heart Association (AHA). He is the author of or cited in over 25 scientific publications.