Moderna Chief Medical Officer Jacqueline Miller, M.D., is stepping down after a little more than a year in the role.
As of publication, Moderna has not responded to Fierce Biotech’s questions about a potential successor search.
Miller held the CMO role since November 2024 and will stay on as a consultant “to assist with the transition,” according to a Jan. 30 release.
Meanwhile, the mRNA specialist is welcoming a new chief development officer in the form of David Berman, M.D., Ph.D.
The position was previously held by Melanie Ivarsson, Ph.D., who exited the role at the end of 2024 and served as an advisor for Moderna until mid-2025, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Incoming Berman will start his new role March 2 and will report to Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel.
Berman joins from Immunocore, where he led R&D and guided the development of Kimmtrak (tebentafusp-tebn)—the first T-cell receptor cancer therapy to gain FDA approval. Before that, Berman oversaw strategy and execution of AstraZeneca’s immuno-oncology portfolio. He also has past experience from Bristol Myers Squibb, where he led the company’s early-stage IO pipeline.
Moderna’s stock has fallen 3% since market close yesterday, dropping from $46.86 per share to $45.32 at 10:15 a.m. ET.
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The leadership changes come amid Moderna’s shift toward oncology, driven in part by anti-vaccine sentiment in the U.S. Initially reported by Fierce Biotech last fall, Moderna is turning instead toward “a huge unmet need in cancer,” said Moderna’s Kyle Holen, M.D., head of development, therapeutics and oncology.
Less than two weeks ago, the company shared five-year data for its Merck & Co.-partnered cancer vaccine, which, when combined with Keytruda, cut the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 49% in comparison to Keytruda alone.
“David’s leadership experience in oncology and infectious disease will be critical as we continue to invest and drive innovation across Moderna’s pipeline,” Bancel said in a Jan. 30 statement. “I look forward to welcoming David to Moderna’s executive committee as chief development officer and partnering with him to advance our portfolio of mRNA medicines.”
On the same day the leadership changeover was announced, Moderna also shared that it had out-licensed a rare disease drug candidate to Recordati, accepting $50 million upfront for an asset that could deliver registrational data this year.
For the last few months, the company has undergone significant change, discontinuing four clinical mRNA programs in November and outlining a three-year business strategy with the goal of boosting revenue by 10% in 2026.