Moderna (NASDAQ: RNA) named Melanie Ivarsson as its chief development officer. Ivarsson was most recently vice president, head of clinical operations at Takeda Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: TAK). Her previous experience includes serving as senior director, head of clinical strategy and operations at Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and in roles within the early clinical development group at Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY).

Cambridge, MA-based Moderna, which raised more than $600 million in the largest-ever biotech IPO in December 2018, is working to develop synthetic messenger RNA drugs that are intended to compel the body to produce disease-fighting proteins.

UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS