Breaking barriers in rare genetic mitochondrial diseases, Greg Flesher, Pres. & CEO, Reneo

Synopsis: Greg Flesher is the President and CEO of Reneo Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for patients with rare genetic mitochondrial diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Greg discusses beginning his career at Eli Lilly in the mid 1990s and how he approaches being a CEO differently the second time around. He talks about the rare mitochondrial disease landscape and the opportunities and challenges within it. He also dives into patient access for rare diseases and the difficulties around accessing the right patients for late-stage pivotal trials. Finally, he shares how the current environment impacts how he approaches execution against clinical programs and his advice to other leaders navigating the current times. Biography: Greg is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Reneo Pharmaceuticals and serves as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Greg brings to Reneo more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience in executive management, corporate and business development, operations, sales and marketing, and clinical development. He has been closely involved with several novel development programs resulting in multiple product approvals and successful commercial launches in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to joining Reneo, Greg was Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Novus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NVUS), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company he took public in 2017 and led through the transformational acquisition of Anelixis Therapeutics in 2020. Prior to Novus, Greg was Chief Business Officer of publicly traded Avanir Pharmaceuticals (AVNR), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company, where he led corporate and business development as well as corporate operations through the $3.5 billion acquisition of the company by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals in 2015. From 1995 to 2006, Greg held multiple leadership roles at Intermune (acquired by Roche), Amgen, and Eli Lilly and Company. Greg received his B.S. in biology from Purdue University and studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Indiana University School of Medicine.