Neeraj Pakala

Dr. Pakala brings to Vera more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical development, strategic sourcing, global supply chain management, and regulatory submissions / negotiations leading to commercial launch of innovative medicinal products in the US and international markets.

Prior to Joining Vera, Dr. Pakala served as the VP of Product Development and Manufacturing at Aimmune Therapeutics (a Nestle Health Science Company) where he led the development of their diversified portfolio including recombinant biologics, natural biologics, and peptide-based microbiome products. During his 7-year tenure at Aimmune, Dr. Pakala played a critical role in developing the CMC / Technical Operations team, establishing supply chains, and process scale-up / validation resulting in successful launch of PalforziaTM in the US and European markets.

Prior to Aimmune, Dr. Pakala spent 6 years at Alexza Pharmaceuticals culminating as their Executive Director of Manufacturing and Engineering. Responsibilities at Alexza included manufacturing (internal operations and CMO sites), capacity expansions, supplier sourcing, supply chain management, regulatory submissions, and early-stage product development. During this time, Dr. Pakala has played a substantial role in resolving supply and scale-up issues enabling US and international approval of AdasuveTM product.

Dr. Pakala’s earlier career included process/product development roles at Nanogram, Nektar Therapeutics, Aclara Biosciences, Aradigm Corporation and Roche Diagnostic. He received his PhD in Engineering Science from The University of Toledo, OH, and an MBA from San Jose State University, CA.