SVP of Commercial, NA
Apellis Pharmaceuticals

David Acheson joined Apellis Pharmaceuticals in November of 2019, a Waltham, MA based biotech company that is committed to developing transformative therapies for people living with a broad range of debilitating diseases. David brings over 20 years of pharma and biotech experience to the organization, and joined Apellis to lead the commercialization of the company’s first ever marketed products that are focused on controlling complement, a part of the body’s immune system. At Apellis, David serves as the Senior Vice President of Commercial for North America, and since joining the organization, has built out the Rare Disease division of the company and led a very successful first launch for Apellis for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) with Apellis’ novel C3 complement product, pegcetacoplan. David is currently leading the pre-commercialization efforts and build of the Ophthalmology division in preparation for the anticipated, first ever treatment for geographic atrophy. Prior to joining Apellis, David worked at Circassia Pharmaceuticals, a U.K. based company focused in the areas of respiratory diagnostics and treatment, where he held progressive leadership roles, including SVP & General Manager for the U.S. division based in Raleigh, NC. As a part of Circassia, David was responsible for growing the organization from start-up operations to roughly 300 employees in the U.S. and growing revenues from $15M to just over $250M in less than three years, both through organic growth as well as strategic collaborative partnerships with both small and large pharma companies. David started his pharmaceutical career at Roche Pharmaceuticals, and holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.