Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth H. Z. Thompson as Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development. Dr. Thompson will lead research and development at Acadia and serve as a member of the company?s Executive Leadership Team, reporting to Steve Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Acadia. Dr. Thompson most recently served as Executive Vice President, Research and Development (Rare Disease) at Amgen following its acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics plc.

At Horizon, Dr. Thompson led the R&D organization and oversaw the rapid realization of the company's goal to become a science-based biopharma. She joined Horizon in 2018 and served in roles of increasing responsibility that culminated at Executive Vice President, Research and Development. Prior to joining Horizon, she held roles at AbbVie, Raptor, InterMune, and Amgen in a career spanning clinical development, business development and medical communications and has been involved in pre- or post-market R&D activities for life-changing drugs including TEPEZZA®, KRYSTEXXA®, UPLIZNA®, RAVICTI®, SKYRIZI®, ESBRIET®, and ENBREL®.

She has served the broader biotech ecosystem as a member of California Life Sciences, an industry advocacy organization, and as a member of the board of directors of IGM Biosciences. She has also been recognized for her dedication to the healthcare industry and mentorship and sponsorship of others as a 2021 Healthcare Businesswomen?s Association Luminary. Dr. Thompson received a B.S. in chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and a Ph.D. in macromolecular and cellular structure and chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute.