Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has announced plans to bring its research and development operations together under a single organisation to accelerate drug discovery and strengthen its pharmaceutical pipeline. The new structure will be led by Cristian Massacesi, who will take over as Head of Research and Development (R&D) on January 1, 2027.
The organisational change aims to improve collaboration between scientific research and clinical development teams, speed up decision-making and help promising drug candidates move more efficiently from early discovery to patient care.
As part of the transition, Robert Plenge, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, will remain with the company in an advisory role until March 2027. He will support the leadership transition before leaving Bristol Myers Squibb.
Cristian Massacesi to Lead Unified R&D Organisation
Cristian Massacesi currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at BMS. Under the new structure, he will oversee the company’s combined research and development activities.
The unified organisation will bring together scientific and clinical expertise that previously operated across separate functions. BMS expects this approach to improve coordination between research scientists and clinical development teams, helping the company identify promising discoveries and advance them into clinical programmes more quickly.
Christopher Boerner, Chairman and CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, said the organisational change represents an important step towards supporting the company’s long-term growth.
He highlighted that bringing research and development together would help remove traditional boundaries between the two functions, improve the use of new technologies and strengthen the company’s ability to deliver medicines to patients.
Robert Plenge to Support Leadership Transition
Robert Plenge has played an important role in building BMS’s research organisation and advancing its scientific capabilities.
He will continue working with the company in an advisory capacity through March 2027 to ensure a smooth transition.
Plenge said he was proud of the achievements of the research teams and expressed confidence in the new organisational structure. He also highlighted his collaboration with Massacesi in developing the updated R&D model.
Focus on Accelerating Drug Development
The restructuring comes as BMS continues to advance its research programmes across several major therapeutic areas, including oncology, hematology, immunology, neuroscience and cardiovascular diseases.
The company is working to strengthen its pipeline through internal research, external partnerships and investments in new technologies.
By connecting early-stage scientific research more closely with clinical development, BMS aims to improve how potential medicines are evaluated and advanced through clinical trials.
The new structure will become effective on January 1, 2027. The company expects the combined organisation to support stronger scientific collaboration, faster development decisions and more effective execution of its drug development programmes.
The move reflects a broader shift in the pharmaceutical industry, where companies are increasingly bringing research and clinical development teams closer together to improve productivity and shorten the time required to develop new treatments.