Acadia Pharma Announces Catherine Owen Adams as New CEO

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that Catherine Owen Adams has taken over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Steve Davis and joining the Acadia Board of Directors.

“We are pleased to welcome Catherine Owen Adams as the new CEO of Acadia,” stated Stephen Biggar, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Directors. “Catherine is a recognized leader with a significant track record of driving growth and innovation in the pharmaceutical sector. Her strategic insight, extensive knowledge, and dedication to enhancing patient outcomes make her the perfect person to steer Acadia through its next growth phase while increasing the value of the company, which is nearing $1 billion in sales with a promising pipeline of developing medicines. We believe that under her leadership, Acadia will harness its strengths and broaden its impact on the treatment of central nervous system disorders and rare diseases.”

Dr. Biggar added, “On behalf of the Board and the Company, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Steve Davis for his outstanding leadership and the considerable achievements Acadia has made during his tenure as CEO. Steve guided the approval and commercialization of NUPLAZID as well as the development and launch of DAYBUE. His contributions to the biopharmaceutical sector will profoundly influence patients’ lives for years to come.”

“I am excited to join Acadia at such a crucial and transformative moment for the company,” said Catherine Owen Adams, the incoming CEO. “Acadia’s strong history of innovation and its unwavering commitment to enhancing patient lives resonate with my own passion for advancing healthcare. I am inspired by the team’s energy and dedication, and I am eager to collaborate to drive future growth in our commercial divisions, accelerate our pipeline, establish new partnerships, and continue delivering impactful therapies that push the limits of scientific discovery. I look forward to leading Acadia into its next chapter of innovation and success.”

“Catherine’s extensive commercial and global expertise aligns perfectly with Acadia’s mission to improve the lives of underserved patients and families affected by disorders for which no approved treatments exist,” stated Mr. Davis. “I am optimistic about Acadia’s future and our dedication to these patient populations.”

Catherine Owen Adams brings a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to her new role as CEO of Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Most recently, she held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager, U.S., at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where she oversaw a $20 billion commercial business that included a wide range of promoted brands across Oncology, Cardiovascular, and Immunology. In that role, she managed more than 3,000 employees and led significant product launches in areas such as lung cancer, obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and psoriasis. Prior to that, she served as Senior Vice President and Head of Major Markets at BMS, where she directed commercial operations, supervising 6,000 employees across 19 countries during BMS’s merger with Celgene. Under her direction, her teams successfully launched nine new products in Oncology, CAR-T, Hematology, and Immunology, bolstering her reputation as a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry. Before her tenure at BMS, Ms. Owen Adams spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), where she held various leadership roles across global, U.S., and European operations, concluding her career there as President of Janssen Immunology U.S. Throughout her career at J&J, she gained extensive experience in marketing, sales, market access, R&D, and internal ventures in both the Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology sectors. Ms. Owen Adams began her professional journey in R&D and manufacturing at AstraZeneca after obtaining a BSc in Pharmacy from the University of Manchester, becoming a qualified pharmacist and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (MRPhS). She is currently a board member of Agios Pharmaceuticals and AssistRx, and previously served on the board of Optinose PLC and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospitals.