Alphabet's life sciences business Verily recently added two seasoned healthcare executives to its advisory board and leadership team, according to CNBC.
The goal is to position the company beyond research and development and begin its foray into hospitals and clinics.
Here are five things to know:
1. Verily became an independent subsidiary of Alphabet in 2015. It has since entered a number of partnerships with other life sciences companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi. The company began with a very science-oriented mission to develop solutions for medical issues, such as blood draw and disease management.
2. Now, Verily is exploring ways of selling its products to pharmaceutical companies and health systems, and is working with regulators on approvals for its products.
3. Former CEO of Oric Pharmaceuticals Ashraf Hanna, MD, PhD, joins Verily as its new COO while Vivian Lee, MD, a radiologist and the former CEO of Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health, will be its president of health platforms.
4. Ms. Lee will be in charge of Verily's population health initiatives to advance its interest in managing patient populations. She left the University of Utah Health amid a controversy over her firing of an executive.
5. Verily is also adding Linda Avey, the co-founder of 23andMe; former Medicare chief Andy Slavitt; former HHS ONC head Karen DeSalvo; and Kathy Giusti, founder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, to its advisory board.
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