Santhera axes half its employees and sees CMO depart after PhIII DMD fail

Less than a month after showing its lead Duchenne muscular dystrophy program out the door, Santhera Pharmaceuticals is slashing half its staff.

The Swiss biotech announced the move Monday morning as it continues its restructuring around a second DMD candidate, vamorolone. Among the employees departing is Santhera’s now-former CMO Kristina Sjöblom Nygren, though the company noted that she left for “family reasons and to pursue other opportunities,” per a statement.