Thomas Fagan Joins Cognito Therapeutics’ Executive Team

Cognito Therapeutics has appointed Thomas Fagan as executive vice president, Alzheimer’s Portfolio, and a member of the company’s executive leadership team.

Fagan has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics industries, with vast expertise in Alzheimer’s disease spanning diagnostics, therapeutics, and real-world clinical adoption. He has experience building and aligning cross-functional teams, developing clinical-to-commercial pathways, and working with clinicians, health systems, and payers to accelerate the adoption of innovative medical technologies.

Fagan will lead Cognito Therapeutics’ Alzheimer’s portfolio, advancing strategic planning and commercial readiness for Spectris while helping shape integrated care models that support patients, families, and healthcare providers. He will focus on aligning clinical development, market preparation, and healthcare system engagement as Cognito progresses toward key clinical milestones, including its pivotal HOPE trial.

“Tom brings deep expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and a proven track record guiding innovative technologies from clinical development to real-world clinical adoption,” Cognito Therapeutics CEO Christian Howell said. “As we advance our pivotal HOPE trial and prepare for broader clinical engagement, his leadership will be critical to ensuring we build the infrastructure needed to responsibly and effectively deliver this potential neuroprotective therapy to patients.”

Before joining Cognito, Fagan was vice president, U.S. Alzheimer’s Disease Commercial at Eisai Inc., where he led U.S. commercial strategy for the company’s Alzheimer’s disease portfolio and served on the executive committee for the Americas. In this role, he helped guide the launch and market expansion of LEQEMBI (lecanemab) while building and leading a national commercial organization focused on physician engagement, patient access, and healthcare system readiness.

Prior to Eisai, Fagan spent nearly a decade at Eli Lilly in leadership roles focused on Alzheimer’s disease. As global commercial leader for Alzheimer’s Disease, he helped design and lead commercialization efforts for Amyvid (florbetapir), the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved PET imaging agent used to detect evidence of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. He also served as global brand development leader for Alzheimer’s disease programs, where he led commercial strategy for late-stage therapeutic programs and alliances.

“Alzheimer’s disease requires new approaches that bridge scientific innovation with how care is actually delivered to patients and families,” Fagan stated. “Cognito’s work at the intersection of neuroscience, engineering, and patient-centered care represents an exciting opportunity to rethink how we support people living with neurodegenerative disease. I’m thrilled to join the Cognito team at such an important moment as we approach our pivotal study data readout and prepare for potential commercialization next year.”

Fagan earned his MBA in general management from Stanford University and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from DePauw University, where he graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Cognito Therapeutics is a late clinical-stage neurotechnology company pioneering neuroprotective therapies to address the unmet needs of patients living with CNS disorders. Its lead product, Spectris, is an at-home therapeutic platform that uses non-invasive, sensory-driven neurostimulation to evoke coordinated neural activity across interconnected networks. The company’s feasibility studies have shown the potential for Spectris to preserve cognition, daily function, and slow brain atrophy in patients diagnosed with mild-to-moderate AD. Cognito is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.