Synopsis:
Nimbus Therapeutics CEO Abbas Kazimi walks Alok Tayi through the company’s evolving pipeline and playbook for choosing the right risks in a noisy biotech environment. From Werner helicase for MSI-high cancers to a highly selective SIK2 program and GLP-1–adjacent strategies focused on body composition, Abbas details how Nimbus balances rigor, speed, and capital efficiency.
He shares candid lessons from pausing and later resurrecting AMPK beta in partnership with Eli Lilly, the decision to remain modality-agnostic but small-molecule-centric, and the importance of knowing when not to chase the latest fad. Throughout, Abbas returns to a consistent theme: success at Nimbus comes from disciplined target selection, deep collaboration, and a culture that empowers teams to make hard calls in service of patients rather than headlines.
Biography:
Abbas Kazimi is the Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus Therapeutics. Previously, he served as Chief Business Officer, leading the company’s strategic and corporate development efforts while overseeing business operations. Since joining Nimbus in 2014, he has helped raise over $630 million in equity financing and led transactions totaling more than $8 billion.
Notably, Mr. Kazimi spearheaded the $6 billion sale of Nimbus’s TYK2 program to Takeda, the $1.2 billion sale of its NASH (ACC) program to Gilead, and multiple licensing deals exceeding $1.5 billion with partners such as Genentech, Celgene/Roche, and Eli Lilly. Under his leadership, Nimbus has advanced four programs into the clinic, returned over $4 billion to investors, and continues to expand its computational drug discovery and clinical development capabilities.
In 2025, Mr. Kazimi joined the board of Unnatural Products (UNP), a biotech company pioneering orally delivered macrocyclic peptides to tackle previously undruggable targets. He also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for In Vivo magazine, a leading publication offering strategic insights and analysis of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medtech, and consumer health industries. Along with his family, he established the Kazimi Family Endowment for Data Science in Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This endowment reflects their personal commitment to philanthropy and their vision for revolutionizing cancer treatment through data-driven innovation.
At the core of Mr. Kazimi’s leadership is a deep sense of purpose—one that seeks to change the trajectory of medical diagnoses where options are limited. The ability to give patients, prescribers, and families a new outlook on life is a powerful responsibility—and one he knows the biopharmaceutical sector has the ability to fulfill.
Before Nimbus, he was at Extera Partners, LLC (formerly PureTech Development, LLC), where he provided strategic advisory, supported fundraising, and executed numerous business development transactions. Earlier in his career, he was with JSB-Partners, LP, a specialized investment banking and advisory firm serving biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Mr. Kazimi holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. from Harvard University.
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Synopsis:
Nimbus Therapeutics CEO Abbas Kazimi walks Alok Tayi through the company’s evolving pipeline and playbook for choosing the right risks in a noisy biotech environment. From Werner helicase for MSI-high cancers to a highly selective SIK2 program and GLP-1–adjacent strategies focused on body composition, Abbas details how Nimbus balances rigor, speed, and capital efficiency.
He shares candid lessons from pausing and later resurrecting AMPK beta in partnership with Eli Lilly, the decision to remain modality-agnostic but small-molecule-centric, and the importance of knowing when not to chase the latest fad. Throughout, Abbas returns to a consistent theme: success at Nimbus comes from disciplined target selection, deep collaboration, and a culture that empowers teams to make hard calls in service of patients rather than headlines.
Biography:
Abbas Kazimi is the Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus Therapeutics. Previously, he served as Chief Business Officer, leading the company’s strategic and corporate development efforts while overseeing business operations. Since joining Nimbus in 2014, he has helped raise over $630 million in equity financing and led transactions totaling more than $8 billion.
Notably, Mr. Kazimi spearheaded the $6 billion sale of Nimbus’s TYK2 program to Takeda, the $1.2 billion sale of its NASH (ACC) program to Gilead, and multiple licensing deals exceeding $1.5 billion with partners such as Genentech, Celgene/Roche, and Eli Lilly. Under his leadership, Nimbus has advanced four programs into the clinic, returned over $4 billion to investors, and continues to expand its computational drug discovery and clinical development capabilities.
In 2025, Mr. Kazimi joined the board of Unnatural Products (UNP), a biotech company pioneering orally delivered macrocyclic peptides to tackle previously undruggable targets. He also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for In Vivo magazine, a leading publication offering strategic insights and analysis of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medtech, and consumer health industries. Along with his family, he established the Kazimi Family Endowment for Data Science in Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This endowment reflects their personal commitment to philanthropy and their vision for revolutionizing cancer treatment through data-driven innovation.
At the core of Mr. Kazimi’s leadership is a deep sense of purpose—one that seeks to change the trajectory of medical diagnoses where options are limited. The ability to give patients, prescribers, and families a new outlook on life is a powerful responsibility—and one he knows the biopharmaceutical sector has the ability to fulfill.
Before Nimbus, he was at Extera Partners, LLC (formerly PureTech Development, LLC), where he provided strategic advisory, supported fundraising, and executed numerous business development transactions. Earlier in his career, he was with JSB-Partners, LP, a specialized investment banking and advisory firm serving biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Mr. Kazimi holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. from Harvard University.
Neil F. McFarlane, President & CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, on Leading Rare Disease Innovation
Biotech 2050 Podcast
35 minutes 35 seconds
8 months ago
Neil F. McFarlane, President & CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, on Leading Rare Disease Innovation
Synopsis:
In this episode of Biotech2050, host Rahul Chaturvedi sits down with Neil F. McFarlane, President and CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, to explore his unique leadership journey from military nurse to biotech executive. Neil shares reflections from his time at Genzyme and UCB, insights on running a rare disease-focused biotech, and the art of mission-driven leadership. He dives into Zevra’s recent therapeutic milestones, regulatory strategies, and the importance of reflection in high-stakes environments. This conversation offers powerful takeaways for anyone navigating biotech leadership, board management, or rare disease innovation.
Biography:
Neil F. McFarlane took the reins as President and CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, a commercial-stage rare disease therapeutics company, in October 2023, bringing with him a wealth of experience in the biopharma industry and specific expertise in neurological and rare diseases. Before joining Zevra, he served on the board of Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc. from 2022 to 2024 and was the CEO of Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for neurological diseases, from 2019 until its acquisition by Supernus Pharmaceuticals in 2021.
Prior to Adamas, Mr. McFarlane was Chief Operating Officer at Retrophin, Inc. (now Travere Therapeutics, Inc.), from 2016 to 2019, where he managed day-to-day operations. He also held roles of increasing responsibility at UCB, Inc., Genzyme Corporation (now Sanofi), and Sangstat Medical Corporation, which was acquired by Genzyme.
Biotech 2050 Podcast
Synopsis:
Nimbus Therapeutics CEO Abbas Kazimi walks Alok Tayi through the company’s evolving pipeline and playbook for choosing the right risks in a noisy biotech environment. From Werner helicase for MSI-high cancers to a highly selective SIK2 program and GLP-1–adjacent strategies focused on body composition, Abbas details how Nimbus balances rigor, speed, and capital efficiency.
He shares candid lessons from pausing and later resurrecting AMPK beta in partnership with Eli Lilly, the decision to remain modality-agnostic but small-molecule-centric, and the importance of knowing when not to chase the latest fad. Throughout, Abbas returns to a consistent theme: success at Nimbus comes from disciplined target selection, deep collaboration, and a culture that empowers teams to make hard calls in service of patients rather than headlines.
Biography:
Abbas Kazimi is the Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus Therapeutics. Previously, he served as Chief Business Officer, leading the company’s strategic and corporate development efforts while overseeing business operations. Since joining Nimbus in 2014, he has helped raise over $630 million in equity financing and led transactions totaling more than $8 billion.
Notably, Mr. Kazimi spearheaded the $6 billion sale of Nimbus’s TYK2 program to Takeda, the $1.2 billion sale of its NASH (ACC) program to Gilead, and multiple licensing deals exceeding $1.5 billion with partners such as Genentech, Celgene/Roche, and Eli Lilly. Under his leadership, Nimbus has advanced four programs into the clinic, returned over $4 billion to investors, and continues to expand its computational drug discovery and clinical development capabilities.
In 2025, Mr. Kazimi joined the board of Unnatural Products (UNP), a biotech company pioneering orally delivered macrocyclic peptides to tackle previously undruggable targets. He also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for In Vivo magazine, a leading publication offering strategic insights and analysis of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medtech, and consumer health industries. Along with his family, he established the Kazimi Family Endowment for Data Science in Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This endowment reflects their personal commitment to philanthropy and their vision for revolutionizing cancer treatment through data-driven innovation.
At the core of Mr. Kazimi’s leadership is a deep sense of purpose—one that seeks to change the trajectory of medical diagnoses where options are limited. The ability to give patients, prescribers, and families a new outlook on life is a powerful responsibility—and one he knows the biopharmaceutical sector has the ability to fulfill.
Before Nimbus, he was at Extera Partners, LLC (formerly PureTech Development, LLC), where he provided strategic advisory, supported fundraising, and executed numerous business development transactions. Earlier in his career, he was with JSB-Partners, LP, a specialized investment banking and advisory firm serving biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Mr. Kazimi holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. from Harvard University.
