Roopal Thakkar

AbbVie has announced the appointment of Roopal Thakkar, M.D., currently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Global Therapeutics, to the role of Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Scientific Officer.

In this capacity, Dr. Thakkar will oversee AbbVie’s global R&D organization, which comprises over 14,000 team members working across all phases of drug discovery and development, including therapeutics and aesthetics.

"Dr. Thakkar is a physician by training with a strong commitment to innovation and patient care," stated Rob Michael, Chief Executive Officer of AbbVie. "He has a proven track record of building new capabilities, establishing strategic partnerships, and advancing our clinical programs to expedite the delivery of medicines and solutions to patients. As AbbVie’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Thakkar will drive momentum across all stages of discovery and development to unlock the full potential of our diverse pipeline. He possesses the vision, skills, and experience necessary to lead our R&D organization."

Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Dr. Thakkar stated, "I am excited to take on these responsibilities for the R&D organization at AbbVie. Our pipeline, which includes over 90 drug and device programs, presents a significant opportunity to ensure AbbVie's growth well into the next decade. I am confident that our exceptional R&D team will continue to deliver critical innovations, and I am honored to lead this organization as we tackle the most pressing health challenges for patients."

Thomas J. Hudson, M.D., who currently serves as AbbVie's Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Global Research, will retire from the company. Dr. Hudson joined AbbVie in 2016, initially overseeing oncology discovery and early development, before becoming Vice President of Discovery Research and then Chief Scientific Officer in 2019. During his eight years with the company, Dr. Hudson significantly shaped AbbVie’s early-stage science initiatives, built precision medicine capabilities, fostered scientific partnerships, and developed data strategies to accelerate drug discovery and development.