Ionis (IONS) Announces Leadership Transition as R&D Veteran Richard Geary Prepares to Retire
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) is one of the 10 biotech stocks screaming a buy. On June 12, the company announced the upcoming retirement of Richard Geary, Ph.D., its executive vice president and chief development officer, effective January 2026. Holly Kordasiewicz, Ph.D., currently senior vice president of neurology, will take over the role. Geary has been with Ionis since 1995 and played a pivotal role in bringing six medicines to regulatory approval, including the company's first independently commercialized drug, TRYNGOLZA.
A biotechnologist pouring liquid into a test tube and analyzing its components in a lab.
Dr. Kordasiewicz, who joined Ionis in 2011, brings over 20 years of experience in R&D, particularly in neurology. She leads the company's neurology program, covering treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Angelman syndrome, and Alexander disease. Her work has also contributed to key partnered programs with Biogen, including the development of QALSODY® and IONIS-MAPTRx.
As Dr. Geary transitions out of his role, he will continue as a strategic consultant through 2026 to ensure continuity. Ionis leadership praised both Geary's legacy and Kordasiewicz's appointment as a pivotal step in driving the company's commitment to developing transformational therapies for patients with serious diseases.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a U.S.-based commercial-stage biotech company specializing in RNA-targeted therapies. Its approved products include TRYNGOLZA for FCS, WAINUA, and TEGSEDI for ATTRv-PN, SPINRAZA for spinal muscular atrophy, QALSODY for ALS, and WAYLIVRA for rare lipid disorders. The company has a robust pipeline, including late-stage programs like Olezarsen (for hypertriglyceridemia), Donidalorsen (for hereditary angioedema), and Zilganerse (for Alexander disease), along with several mid-stage treatments for neurological and metabolic conditions. Ionis also collaborates with leading pharma firms, including Biogen, GSK, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Roche, and Metagenomi, expanding its reach in developing transformative RNA therapies.
While we acknowledge the potential of IONS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
READ NEXT: 13 Best Software Stocks to Buy Now and 11 Must-Buy AI Stocks Analysts Are Betting On.
Disclosure: None.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Bell Palsy?
Bell palsy, or idiopathic facial paralysis, is the most common peripheral paralysis of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). Many cases of facial nerve paralysis have identifiable etiologies, such as stroke, Lyme disease, or Ramsay Hunt syndrome, but Bell palsy is, by definition, idiopathic in nature. How much do you know about Bell palsy and its management? Check your knowledge with this quick quiz. Type 2 diabetes is associated with several types of peripheral neuropathy, including Bell palsy. The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy among patients with type 2 diabetes has been calculated to be as high as 53.6%. In one retrospective cohort study, 33% of participants with Bell palsy had coexisting type 2 diabetes. Additionally, obesity might increase the risk for Bell palsy. Some studies have concluded that there is a slight female preponderance among patients with Bell palsy, whereas others have found no sex predilection. Even if female sex is not a risk factor, evidence suggests that Bell palsy is associated with pregnancy. The median age of onset is 40 years, and patient age < 15 years is not a risk factor. However, Bell palsy has been identified in children and even infants. Facial nerve trauma can certainly cause symptoms resembling Bell palsy, but Bell palsy is idiopathic and does not have a traumatic etiology. If these symptoms resulted from trauma, the diagnosis would be traumatic facial nerve palsy rather than Bell palsy. Learn more about Bell palsy epidemiology. Lagophthalmos, but not true eyelid ptosis, is a characteristic feature of Bell palsy. Symptoms of Bell palsy typically have a rapid onset, manifesting from 24 to 72 hours and often resolving or partially resolving within a few weeks to 3 months. In Bell palsy, facial paralysis is usually unilateral, and bilateral facial paralysis should lead to consideration and evaluation for other etiologies. Hearing loss is not a typical symptom of Bell palsy. The presence of hearing loss indicates an association with an upper motor neuron lesion or a lesion involving more than the facial nerve. Learn more about Bell palsy presentation. A rapid evidence review on Bell palsy points out that, as the condition is idiopathic, laboratory diagnostics are not required for a diagnosis. Clinical practice guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery concur that diagnostic testing is not needed to identify Bell palsy. The guidelines recommend that clinicians should not obtain routine laboratory testing in patients with new-onset Bell palsy, pointing out that this approach is not cost-effective. However, both the rapid evidence review and guidelines state that laboratory testing can help identify systemic causes of facial palsy symptoms, such as Lyme disease or diabetes, when reasonable clinical suspicion exists. Learn more about workup for Bell palsy. Oral corticosteroids are recommended in a rapid evidence review as the first-line treatment for Bell palsy. Guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery also recommend this approach in patients age = 16 years with Bell palsy. Antiviral monotherapy has not been demonstrated to influence recovery and should be avoided. However, combination therapy with oral corticosteroids and antivirals should be considered, as this approach consistently results in lower rates of synkinesis and might reduce rates of incomplete recovery. Local injectable anesthetic would not be an appropriate therapy because it would not address the underlying cause, lower motor neuron palsy. There is no evidence-based role for local anesthetic in the treatment of Bell palsy. Electroconvulsive therapy is mostly used in the treatment of severe mood disorders. The mechanism of action would not be expected to be useful in the treatment of facial nerve palsy. Learn more about management of Bell palsy. Along with the Sunnybrook facial grading system, the House-Brackmann scale is widely used to qualify symptom severity of Bell palsy. A patient with obvious facial weakness, inability to move the forehead, incomplete closure of the eyelids, and mouth asymmetry with maximal effort would be grade IV, moderately severe symptoms. Grade I is classified as a normal presentation with full facial function in all areas. Grade II is characterized by slight facial weakness on close inspection, slight synkinesis, and no lagophthalmos. Grade III would exhibit moderate symptoms with noticeable, but not severe, synkinesis; obvious facial asymmetry but not disfiguring; complete eyelid closure with effort; and slightly weak mouth even with maximal effort. Learn more about Bell palsy prognosis.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Luxury' apartments deceived low-income seniors, Washington attorney general alleges
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit against several apartment complexes, and their property management firms for allegedly 'deceiving' low-income seniors. Attorney General Brown filed the lawsuit Friday in Snohomish County Superior Court against the California-based property management company FPI Management and the owners of five apartments in Western Washington, including Vintage Housing Holdings and AMCAL multi-housing. The suit alleges that the property management firms engaged in 'unfair and deceptive practices,' impacting hundreds of senior tenants. Passenger in custody after alleged bomb threat on plane at Seattle-Tacoma airport According to the Attorney General's Office, FPI and the property owners advertised their apartments as 'low-income' units for tenants 55 and older. However, over the course of several years, FPI and the property owners failed to disclose to their low-income senior tenants that their rent would be calculated and increase in the future, while also misrepresenting the quality of the apartments, the availability and quality of apartment amenities such as pools and fitness areas along with safety at the properties. Now, Attorney General Brown argues these issues violate the Consumer Protection Act. 'No sense of safety': Portland man stranded in Tel Aviv amid Israel-Iran conflict 'Housing is particularly important for older Washingtonians, and it's hard for them to move once they've signed a lease,' Attorney General Brown said in a statement Friday. 'It's egregious to convince vulnerable populations they're getting quality living when in reality they are stuck with properties in disrepair that also end up costing more than they expected over time.' According to Brown, the property owners participate in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and receive tax credits in exchange for setting aside some apartment units for tenants below a certain income threshold. Under the tax credit program, the maximum rental rates are set every year by the United States Department of Housing Urban Development, based on the rise or fall of the area median income in the county of the property, the Attorney General's Office said, noting, 'This is unlike other forms of housing assistance, in which the amount of rent a tenant will pay is based on their own income, and not the income of other people in the area.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Attorney General Brown claims that FPI and the property owners did not explain to prospective tenants that their rent will be calculated based on the area median income, which is 'often significantly more' than Social Security or pension incomes most seniors rely on. This leads to tenants often paying 'an unsustainable portion' of their income on rent with little living expenses for food, transportation or medical expenses, Brown's office explained. Additionally, the Attorney General alleges that the property owners misrepresented the quality of their buildings by marketing them as 'luxury' or 'resort style,' at complexes including Vintage at Everett, Mill Creek and Tacoma. Some tenants moved in to find dirty units with broken appliances, leaks, mold, worn carpets and torn flooring among other issues. Multnomah County DA Vasquez on final city budget, prosecuting protesters Other promises of quality amenities such as pools, fitness centers and computer rooms, either did not exist, were inoperable or permanently closed, the attorney general's office furthered. The apartment complexes were also not as secure as advertised, Brown's office alleges, noting many of the complexes had no one monitoring who was entering the sites, leading to trespassing and other crimes on site along with frequent prowling in parking lots. With this lawsuit, the attorney general seeks an injunction to stop the property owners from continuing their 'unlawful' practices, and to provide restitution to the impacted tenants along with a civil penalty of $12,500 for each Consumer Protection Act violation. KOIN 6 News reached out to FPI Management. This story will be updated if we receive a response. AMCAL declined to comment on the litigation. In a statement to KOIN 6 News, Vintage Housing Holdings said, 'Vintage Housing disputes the Attorney General's allegations and will address them in court. Vintage Housing has been a part of providing housing in Washington for over 25 years. We take seriously our role as providers of affordable housing to seniors and the communities we are part of. We will work with our property manager, FPI, to address any issues. We are unable to comment further on pending litigation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Grass fire shuts off power at Sacramento's Riverbank Marina, impacting businesses
On a red flag warning day, a brush fire caused several businesses to shut down at the Riverbank Marina in Sacramento after losing power. Hungry customers were greeted by signs that read "Closed due to outage." "I got a front row [parking] spot and I was like, how did that happen? And now I know why, right," said sacramento resident Lori Organ. A grass fire broke out across the street from the marina Saturday morning. Sacramento Fire said they were able to contain it at one acre, but some power lines were damaged, causing outages at nearby restaurants and businesses. We were really excited about this weekend. Obviously, 80-degree weather. We only have about 12 or 14 Saturday's for the summer, so it's a huge impact," said Trevor Shults, owner of Crawdads on the River. Crawdads on the River, one of the several restaurants closed due to no power, had to cancel their saturday live music event. The owner of the restaurant is also thinking about his employees during peak season. Everyone was hoping to make money. We are a seasonal business, we're open year-round, but these summer months are where we make our bread and butter," said Shults. Sac Fire said the fire initially broke out near a power pole. It's unclear at this time what the cause of the fire was, but SMUD was on scene making repairs to the power lines for hours. "Fires start by accident all the time, it's just that time of year to be extra careful," said Archambeault. One company being extra careful is PG&E. They've had power shutoffs in place since Thursday. More than 11,000 customers across 16 counties have been impacted across Northern California. The reason for the shutoffs is so the wind doesn't knock trees into power lines or take power lines down altogether, potentially sparking a fire. PG&E said they understand it's hot out and people want their a/c but the shutoffs are for safety. "We know that for some customers it's an inconvenience. We know for others it's actually more than that because they rely on life-saving medical devices and other things that require electricity. So we certainly don't take decisions like this lightly, but the idea is to prevent catastrophic wildfires that can cause even more significant damage," said PG&E spokesperson Jeff Smith. "Sometimes we have to shut off power and hopefully it's not for a long time. And again the wind has died down," said Archambeault. Crawdads on the River said they will be open for business as usual on Sunday. PG&E said as high-risk fire conditions begin to dwindle into Sunday evening, they are hoping to get everyone's power fully restored.
