Sofinnova Investments has appointed Merdad Parsey, M.D., Ph.D., as Executive Partner, adding a veteran biopharmaceutical executive and physician-scientist to its investment team.
Parsey brings more than 25 years of experience spanning research, clinical development, regulatory approvals, commercialization, portfolio strategy and biotechnology company building.
He joins Sofinnova after serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Gilead Sciences, where he oversaw Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Clinical Data Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomarkers, Portfolio Strategy and Management, Regulatory, Safety Sciences, and Quality and Compliance.
At Gilead, Parsey was responsible for clinical development from pre-IND activities through product launch, as well as portfolio strategy and budget. He also served on Gilead’s leadership team and chaired its Portfolio Committee.
Before Gilead, Parsey held senior positions at Genentech/Roche, including Senior Vice President of gRED Early Clinical Development, where he oversaw programs from pre-IND through Phase 2b.
He previously served as CEO of 3-V Biosciences, now Sagimet Biosciences, and held clinical development leadership roles at Sepracor, Regeneron and Merck Research Laboratories.
Sofinnova invests in private and public healthcare companies and has approximately $4.8 billion in assets under management and committed capital as of June 30, 2026.
KEY QUOTES:
“Building exceptional teams is central to Sofinnova’s investment approach, and Merdad brings a rare combination of scientific, clinical and operational expertise,” said Jim Healy, M.D., Ph.D., Managing Partner, Sofinnova Investments. “His experience translating innovative science into medicines will be invaluable as we evaluate new opportunities and support our portfolio companies through development.”
Jim Healy, M.D., Ph.D., Managing Partner at Sofinnova Investments
“I am excited to join Sofinnova Investments and work alongside a team with a long history of identifying important science and partnering with entrepreneurs to build companies around it,” said Dr. Parsey. “I have had the opportunity to work across early research and clinical development through regulatory approval and commercialization, with the goal of bringing innovative, important new medicines to patients. I look forward to being part of the Sofinnova team to continue those efforts.”
Merdad Parsey, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Partner at Sofinnova Investments
