Fred Eshelman

Chairman of the Board at Aravive

Dr. Eshelman is a highly-regarded, successful entrepreneur, with more than 40 years of executive, strategic, operational and financial leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries. He is the founder of Eshelman Ventures, an investment company focused primarily on healthcare. Most recently, Dr. Eshelman served as chairman of the board of The Medicines Company, where he helped shape and execute the company’s strategy and business initiatives. The Medicines Company was acquired by Novartis in January 2020 for approximately $9.7 billion. Previously, Dr. Eshelman was the founding chairman and largest shareholder of Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Forest Labs/Actavis. Prior to Furiex, Dr. Eshelman was the founder, chief executive officer and executive chairman of Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc., which was acquired by private equity interests. His career has also included positions as senior vice president (development) and a board member of the former Glaxo, Inc., as well as various management positions with Beecham Laboratories and Boehringer Mannheim Pharmaceuticals.

Timeline

  • Chairman of the Board

    Current role