Marianne De backer m.b.a., m.sc. on turnaround strategy
From Vir Biotechnology: Marianne De Backer on Immuno-Oncology, Hepatitis Delta, and Biotech Turnarounds · · IDEA Pharma
“So what happened post the covid pandemic actually is that as you know the sars co v2 viruses the you know evolved v new variants came up and so trophic map was no longer active and so that meant that the company went from having like a billion dollar in revenue in one year to almost having no revenue the next year. So that is something that very few companies survive these kind of very drastic impact on your income. And so I was brought in exactly at that time when that was happening to sort of think about what you know the company could be doing strategically going forward. And so I joined in April of 2023 and I have since then been building the company, you know, building on its existing strengths of protein engineering and being really good at coming up with antibbody therapeutics. Also understanding how the immune system, the human immune system fights infections, really building upon that, but then really pivoting the company into immunoncology and specifically immunoncology for solid tumors.”
On , Marianne De backer m.b.a., m.sc., Chief Executive Officer & Director at VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY INC, spoke about turnaround strategy during Vir Biotechnology: Marianne De Backer on Immuno-Oncology, Hepatitis Delta, and Biotech Turnarounds on IDEA Pharma.
About Marianne De backer m.b.a., m.sc.
Marianne De Backer, CEO of Vir Biotechnology, discussed the company’s strategic turnaround in an April 2026 podcast interview. She noted that Vir Biotechnology was "incredibly successful during the COVID pandemic" with its drug sotrovimab, but after the virus evolved new variants, the company "went from a billion dollars in revenue one year to almost none the next." De Backer stated that she downsized the company by about one-third and closed some sites, adding that "cash is king" and that "you can have the best science and the best ideas in the world, but you need to fund your operations." De Backer described refocusing Vir Biotechnology on immuno-oncology and infectious disease, highlighting its masked T-cell engager pipeline and PRO-XTEN® masking platform. She said the company secured "more than a half billion in upfront income" through deals with Orion and Astellas, as well as a $173 million financing. De Backer also mentioned meeting with Dr. Mer Machi as part of a group of biotech CEOs, stating that "we are in a competitive global environment" and that she is "hopeful we will see changes to move faster across regulatory processes."