Former White House Coronavirus Task Force adviser Deborah Birx named CEO of pharmaceutical company, has been active in private sector since leaving government positions

Deborah Birx – the former White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator under former President Donald Trump – has been named as the CEO of a pharmaceutical company.

In a July 11 press release, Armata Pharmaceuticals announced that Birx, 67, would be the new chief executive officer of the biotechnology company.

Robin C. Kramer, chair of Armata's board of directors, said, "On behalf of the Armata Board and leadership, I would like to welcome Dr. Birx to the team. As we continue to work to introduce novel phage therapeutics to combat serious bacterial infections, Deborah's expertise in immunology and infectious diseases together with her proven leadership skills will serve us well. I look forward to her contributions as CEO and a member of our Board."

Birx said of her new CEO position, "I am thrilled to join Armata at this pivotal time in the Company's development. I'm impressed with the scientific platform's quality and the team's commitment to introducing innovative treatment options for patients suffering from serious bacterial infections. I am excited about the recent advances and see multiple opportunities to accelerate the Company's progress and drive value creation. The recent investment enables the advancement of AP‐PA02 and AP‐SA02 in Phase 2 clinical trials."

Armata Pharmaceuticals is a self-described "clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on the development of pathogen‐specific bacteriophage therapeutics for the treatment of antibiotic‐resistant and difficult‐to‐treat bacterial infections using its proprietary bacteriophage‐based technology."

The California-based pharmaceutical company said it is currently "developing and advancing a broad pipeline of natural and synthetic phage candidates, including clinical candidates for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and other pathogens."

Birx announced her retirement in December 2020 during an interview by saying, "I want the Biden administration to be successful. I've worked since 1980 in the federal government, first through the military, then through [the Department of Health and Human Services], and then detailed to the State Department and detailed here, where I hope I was helpful. I will be helpful in any role people think I can be helpful in, and then I will retire."

Birx left her position as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator in January 2021, according to a LinkedIn profile.

The same month, she resigned from her position as the coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy.

In March 2021, Birx became a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which said: "Deborah L. Birx, M.D., has spent her career serving the United States, first as an Army Colonel and later, running some of the most high-profile and influential programs at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of State."

In March 2021, Birx joined the board of directors at Innoviva – a self-described "diversified holding company with a portfolio of royalties that include respiratory assets partnered with Glaxo Group Limited (GSK), as well as a growing portfolio of innovative healthcare investments and assets in areas of significant unmet medical need."

Also in March 2021, Birx became a "medical and science advisor" at ActivePure – a technology company with a self-described "commitment to creating the purest indoor space possible."

In September 2022, Birx joined the board of directors for Nanolive – a Swiss microscope company that claims to provide "breakthrough imaging and analysis solutions that accelerate research in growth industries such as drug discovery and cell therapy."

In October 2022, Birx was named a member of the federal advisory board for Palantir – a software company specializing in data analytics and data integration. TechCrunch previously reported, "As of 2013, Palantir was used by at least 12 groups within the US Government including the CIA, DHS, NSA, FBI, the CDC, the Marine Corps, the Air Force, Special Operations Command, West Point, the Joint IED-defeat organization and Allies, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."

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