Sanj K. Patel

Sanj K. Patel is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, which is focused on developing and commercializing therapies for patients with devastating diseases and unmet medical need. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the Biopharmaceutical industry and has a combination of scientific, clinical and commercial skills. Kiniksa became public on the NASDAQ Global Market in May 2018. Sanj previously created Synageva in 2008 to focus on rare diseases and designed and initiated its lead program (Kanuma®) for Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency (LAL Deficiency) in July 2008. Kanuma was approved globally in 2015 as the first therapy for patients suffering from this devastating, often terminal disease. He took the company public on the NASDAQ Global Market in November 2011 and raised over $1 billion in capital in less than 5 years. In June 2015, Synageva was sold to Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $9.5B (including cash), which represented the highest premium ever paid for a biotech company valued over $5B. Prior to Synageva, Sanj was an executive at Genzyme Corporation (1999-2008) where he was head of U.S. Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations for the Genzyme Therapeutics franchise, and led the U.S. launch of Myozyme®, in addition to sales and marketing responsibility for Cerezyme®, Fabrazyme® and Aldurazyme®. Previously, he held several cross-functional senior leadership roles at Genzyme, including Vice President, Clinical Research and Head of the Global Clinical Research Operations Council for all Genzyme divisions, including Therapeutics, Oncology and Transplant. He was responsible for clinical operations for all Genzyme products and was instrumental in the path to commercialization of several treatments. Notably, Sanj led the Fabrazyme® clinical operations team and development program to FDA approval in April 2003. Prior to Genzyme, he held senior roles in clinical research and commercial operations at Burroughs Wellcome, Hoechst Marrion Roussel and Fujisawa/Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Sanj obtained his BSc with Honors in Biotechnology from the University of the South Bank, London. He completed his management and business studies at Ealing College, London and his Pharmacology research program at the Wellcome Foundation. Sanj is the founder and director of the Sanj K. Patel and Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded in 2015 which supports various charities focused on patients with rare and devastating diseases. In 2018, he created the Durham-Spencer Organization (encompassing the Orphanage Travel Inspires Program) which will provide opportunities for orphans in developing countries to travel the world and help enrich their minds and lives.