Dive Brief:
- Bristol-Myers Squibb is suing a former executive, David Berman, who left the company for British pharma giant for AstraZeneca, accusing him of violating confidentiality and trade secret agreements.
- Prior to leaving BMS, Berman was in charge of the company's early-stage immunooncology program, and had an overall connection to the development of the entire immunooncology portfolio.
- Berman left BMS for AZ on May 26, and currently works in the company's oncology division.
Dive Insight:
According to BMS, the non-compete agreement between Berman and the company stated that Berman would not be able to work on related business at a competitor company for 12 months. However, Berman, who worked on immunotherapy-related projects for 10 years at BMS, went to work for AZ right away.
The main focus in terms of breaking confidientiality and sharing trade secrets hinges on the development of treatments based on the receptor proteins found on T-cells, and in particular, PD-1 inhibitors. While AZ has declined to comment, Berman, who helped launch both Yerboy and Opdivo—two major immunooncologic product—while at BMS, continues to work at AZ.