LeAnn Kuhlmann-Qi is the chief commercial officer of Columbia, Missouri–based Endevica Bio. The company’s lead drug candidate is TCMCB07, a peptide melanocortin-4 antagonist for cachexia stemming from cancer and other chronic conditions.
Holding an MBA. from the University of Missouri, Kuhlmann-Qi has extensive experience managing the business aspects of early-stage biotechnology companies. She is also the co-owner of Cell Origins LLC, which offers phage display laboratory services to researchers.
In the following interview that belongs to our ongoing Women in Pharma and Biotech series, Kuhlmann-Qi explains how she got into industry, describes her work on TCMCB07 and touches on what it is like to be a female executive in the male-dominated pharmaceutical industry.
The responses have been lightly edited.
What initially attracted you to the pharmaceutical industry?Leann Kuhlmann-Qi
Kuhlma…