Mike Sofia, a renowned scientist, is set to retire as Chief Scientific Officer at Warminster-based Arbutus Biopharma by the end of the year, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Over his illustrious 38-year career, Sofia made significant contributions to medical science, most notably inventing sofosbuvir, a key ingredient in the hepatitis C cure.
Sofia’s groundbreaking work began in 2007 when he co-founded Pharmasset, leading to the discovery of sofosbuvir. This breakthrough resulted in Gilead Sciences acquiring Pharmasset for $11.2 million in 2011.
The hepatitis C drug, marketed as Sovaldi, achieved peak sales of $19.1 billion in 2015 and has cured over 10 million people.
Despite the success, Sofia’s passion for science drove him to co-found Oncore Pharmaceuticals in 2012, aiming to find a cure for hepatitis B.
This venture eventually merged with Tekmira to form Arbutus Biopharma. Although a complete cure for hepatitis B remains elusive, Sofia believes Arbutus is close to achieving this goal.
As he steps down at 66, Sofia reflects on his career’s impact and expresses a desire to continue contributing to science, possibly through teaching or a nonprofit role.
Read more about Mike Sofia’s fruitful career and his contributions to the biopharmaceutical industry in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
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