Skyhawk Therapeutics has appointed Aaron Debs as chief commercial officer, securing the expertise of the executive who oversaw products such as Austed while at Teva. The company shared the news on the same day, saying Sunterra Pharmaceuticals also hired a new chief commercial officer.
Boston-based Skyhawk has signaled it could win accelerated approval in Australia for its Huntington’s disease drug candidate SKY-0515 within 12 months. Skyhawk’s 2027 plans include launches in other markets, and the biotech company has begun preparations for commercialization, hiring Debs to lead the company.
Debs previously served as chief operating officer and marketing officer for Teva’s U.S. specialty business. In this role, the executive led a sales team of approximately 800 people responsible for marketing, sales, market access, and medical affairs. The team marketed several products, including Austed for chorea associated with Huntington’s disease.
Prior to joining Teva, Deves began his career at Pfizer, where he spent the better part of 20 years rising through the ranks on the company’s commercial teams. He then led the commercial strategy of Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s neuroscience division and helped develop the company’s Alzheimer’s disease portfolio.
Skyhawk CEO Bill Haney said in Tuesday’s announcement that Debs’ experience in building commercial teams and launching treatments for difficult neurological diseases will help the company prepare to bring SKY-0515 to patients as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Santerra has appointed Marc Kraus as its chief commercial officer, effective June 1. Kraus succeeds Geert-Jan van Dahl, MD, who is retiring after 11 years with the Swiss biotech company. Santera said in Tuesday’s announcement that Van Dahl will support the transition in the coming months.
Clausse previously served as Vice President of International Strategy and Operations and General Manager UK at Mirum Pharmaceuticals. In that capacity, the executive supported the establishment of the region’s commercial infrastructure, decision-making in market access negotiations, and partnering with distributors. Clausse worked at Tesaro early in his career, joining GSK when it acquired the biotech, holding the title of head of oncology for the UK and Ireland at the UK pharmaceutical giant.
At Santhera, Clausse will take over the sales team focused on growing sales of Agamree, a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The company reported a 76% increase in product sales (PDF) to CHF 11.6 million ($14.9 million) in the first half of 2025. Sunterra has been working to secure reimbursement in more EU countries in recent years and won approval (PDF) in Switzerland in January.
The company has licensed out the product in markets including the United States, and Catalyst Pharmaceuticals is responsible for commercialization. Catalyst recently reported that Agamuri’s full-year sales in 2025 were $117.1 million, an increase of more than 150% compared to 2024.
