PharmaSens Adds Two New Members to its Board

PharmaSens has appointed Robert A. Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D., and James L. Peterson to its board of directors. The Swiss company is developing a unique insulin delivery platform and is working to bring to patients the first all-in-one wearable patch device integrating both insulin delivery and continuous glucose sensing.

“Welcoming Dr. Bob Gabbay and James Peterson to our board is a great honor and represents a significant milestone for PharmaSens as the company delves more deeply into the clinical research phase and looks to develop internationally,” PharmaSens Board Chairman Jean Patricot said. “Their expertise will strengthen our efforts to simplify diabetes management and expand access to insulin pump therapy for more people with diabetes.”

Recognized internationally in the diabetes community for his 40 years of experience in patient care, research, and leadership, Dr. Gabbay recently stepped down as chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, where he led ADA’s efforts to drive discovery within diabetes research, care, and prevention. During his tenure there, Dr. Gabbay collaborated with government agencies on strategy and funding priorities, guided industry experts and stakeholders within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on clinical issues and trial designs, and established partnerships with global pharmaceutical and device companies to drive better patient care.

For more than 10 years, Dr. Gabbay has served as associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and has cared for patients as an endocrinologist at the renowned Joslin Diabetes Center, where for his first seven years, he served as the organization’s chief medical officer. Prior to Harvard and Joslin, Dr. Gabbay was professor of medicine in the college of medicine at Penn State.

Dr. Gabbay brings a wealth of research and peer-reviewed publication experience to PharmaSens at a time when the organization is undertaking extensive clinical study of its technology. The focus of his research has been improving health care delivery models to enhance diabetes outcomes and the patient experience.

He also brings extensive industry experience to the PharmaSens board, having served as a clinical advisor to several health tech and digital health companies, including Sweetch, Vida Health, Lark Health, Valendo Health, Onduo, HealthReveal, and Form Health.

Dr. Gabbay earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Brooklyn School of Medicine, a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, and a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from McGill University. He is board certified in internal medicine and in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism.

Peterson has extensive executive leadership experience in company growth, mergers and acquisitions, corporate fundraising, venture building, and the development of new businesses and technology. After a 23-year career at Haemonetics, from which he retired as president and CEO, Peterson served as executive in residence at the private equity firm Warburg Pincus, where he invested in diabetes technologies. Subsequently, he founded and served as executive chairman of two separate insulin delivery companies, Asante Solutions and CeQur Corporation.

In addition to his entrepreneurial roles, Peterson was on the Finance Committee of the American Diabetes Association and was a long-serving member of the Joslin Diabetes Center board (he remains a member of its clinical assessment committee).

Peterson earned his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a bachelor of science degree in bioengineering from the University of Washington.

“As we move into the next stage of our company’s development, we look forward to working with Bob and James on our board and to the guidance they will provide based on their depth and breadth of clinical and entrepreneurial experience,” PharmaSens CEO Marcel Both stated.

PharmaSens AG is dedicated to simplifying diabetes management and broadening the reach of insulin pump therapy. The PharmaSens team has a wealth of experience in diabetes care and medtech device engineering, having contributed to the development of multiple insulin pump generations. Over several years of research and development, the privately owned Swiss company has built a patented international portfolio of distinctive and innovative products.