Biogen poaches Pfizer dealmaker Dan Karp for stepped-up M&A push

Want to get serious about business development? Take a page from Pfizer’s playbook—and that’s exactly what Biogen is doing.On Thursday, the big biotech said it had brought on Pfizer veteran Dan Karp as its EVP of corporate development, ending his stint as the pharma giant’s VP of worldwide business development and head of R&D business development. For Biogen, Karp will lead a newly minted “corporate development function,��� spanning business development and corporate strategy, the company said. Dealmaking, at a time when Biogen needs to continue racking up transactions to beef up R&D and revenue both. Pfizer, never one to shy away from a transaction and famous for its willingness to jump into a megamerger, sees plenty of deal activity, which is just what Biogen’s seeking. The company touted Karp’s “strong track record of success leading licensing and M&A transactions,” while CEO Michel Vounatsos—to whom Karp will directly report—praised the “solid experience” that will “serve him well in this exciting position as we aim to further build our pipeline and portfolio.”