Commense, an affiliate of PureTech Health developing microbiome-derived immune modulators for paediatric and maternal health, has appointed appointment of Edward “Tad” Stewart as president and CEO. Edward joins Commense with more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology field, including over 15 years at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, where he was instrumental in growing the company from a pre-clinical organisation to a commercial enterprise. Under his leadership as senior vice president of business development and head of Merrimack’s Commercial Business Unit, the company executed multiple partnership and licensing deals with a total value in excess of $1.5 billion and successfully launched ONIVYDE, which was sold to Ipsen in a 2017 transaction valued at $1.025 billion.