Ionis CEO Stanley Crooke Discusses Success as a Platform Technology Company

RARECast

As CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Stanley Crooke has been a pioneer in the development of antisense drugs and oversees one of the industry’s largest and most advanced pipelines. Antisense drugs are compelling for rare diseases because of their ability to selectively target specific RNA sequences. These drugs, such as the company’s treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, Spinraza, are transforming the outlook for rare disease patients. We spoke to Crooke about Ionis’ ability to succeed as a platform technology company, why he thinks gene therapy will not pose a threat to the company’s antisense platform, and why he sees the value of these therapies withstanding growing pricing pressures.