Dr. Banks is a 25-year veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with a proven record of clinical, regulatory, and entrepreneurial success. Dr. Banks has served as a drug development expert, corporate R&D adviser, company creator, and venture-capital adviser to more than 350 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies (from start-ups to multinationals). He has contributed to the successful FDA approval of 24 drugs and biologics (NDAs/BLAs), including HUMIRA® (adalimumab) for rheumatoid arthritis as well as therapies for oncology, metabolic, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and rare diseases. While at Salix Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Banks led the hepatic encephalopathy program for rifaximin that secured FDA approval and was key in Salix’s $14 billion acquisition by Valeant Pharmaceuticals.
In 2008, Dr. Banks founded Nuventra Pharma Sciences and, as Chief Executive Officer and principal consultant, grew the firm from a start-up to a 120-person organization before its 2021 acquisition by CATO SMS (now Allucent). Under his leadership, Nuventra became an industry leader in clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and model-informed drug development across every major therapeutic area. Dr. Banks also co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of 1st Order Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which in-licensed an IND-ready potassium-channel opener for epilepsy from Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2015. The molecule was acquired by Xenon Pharmaceuticals in 2017 and is now in Phase 3 clinical trials.
An active member of the global entrepreneurial community, Dr. Banks joined Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) in 2012. He currently serves on the board of directors of the EO Raleigh-Durham chapter and is also a member of the EO New York chapter.
Dr. Banks is now Chief Executive Officer of BiFormyx, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering dual-payload antibody-drug conjugates for oncology. In this role he blends deep drug-development expertise with a proven ability to scale companies from the C-suite.
