How Michael French, a Military Brat Turned Dealmaker, Kept Marina Biotech Alive
Summary
Even though investors have lost patience with its scientifically edgy concept of RNA interference, French, a military brat turned pharma dealmaker, insists it’s only a matter of time before he strikes that next big deal that will prove his never-say-die approach was worth it.It still usually takes a decade or more of effort, and hundreds of millions of dollars, just to find out if your hypothesis for a novel new drug is strong enough to pass muster with the FDA and become a marketed product.But when that didn’t happen—and when Marina Biotech acquired Cambridge, MA-based Cequent Pharmaceuticals back in July—I figured it might be time for me to actually go out and learn a bit about this character Michael French who won’t give up.“Michael has done a good job navigating his company’s survival in tough times,” says John Maraganore, the CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and a competitor to Marina Biotech.When it was time to go back to civilian life, he put his newfound advanced degree to work in a series of jobs where it could be of practical use—at pharmaceutical giant Bayer.