Facing scrutiny and doubt regarding the efficacy of its tests, Palo Alto, Calif.-based blood test startup Theranos is reducing the size of its board of directors, according to the New York Times. Among those to be eliminated are former Secretaries of State Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz.
After some rearranging, Theranos reduced its board of directors from 12 people to five, and it will be renamed a "governing board." The members who were eliminated from the board will serve on a newly formed board of counselors.
The board will also issue a statement expressing its support for the company and Elizabeth Holmes, its founder and CEO.
Since The Wall Street Journal published an article Oct. 16 detailing its investigation into Theranos, Ms. Holmes defended the company from claims that it falsely promoted its blood test capabilities.
Skeptics have also targeted Theranos' board for a lack of medical expertise, aside from one possible exception — Sen. Bill Frist, MD, (R-Tenn.). In addition to Mr. Kissinger, Mr. Shultz, and Sen. Frist, the board also included former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), in addition to a retired general and retired admiral, according to the report.
In a statement, Theranos said the new structure "codified the way we have been running the business for a number of years." It also says the changes were made in July, though Theranos' website still named the now-eliminated board of directors members and made no indication of the creation of a governing board as of Wednesday night, according to the the New York Times.
Members of the old board of directors who will remain on the new governing board include Ms. Holmes, Theranos' COO Sunny Balwani, construction executive Riley P. Bechtel and James N. Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general. David Boies, a lawyer who has served as the company's outside legal adviser, will become the fifth board member.
Theranos issued the following statement: "We also began formalizing a Medical Board at the board level, which we are building with leaders in health care with whom we have worked over time."
The founding members of the medical board are Sen. Frist and William H. Foege, MD, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both of whom are also members of Theranos' board of counselors; David Helfet, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, who has led a medical advisory board task force for the company; and Jonathan Simons, MD, CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Editor's note: The headline of the article was updated to reflect Henry Kissinger was not dismissed, rather he was moved from Theranos' board of directors to its board of counselors. Additional members of Theranos' medical board were also added to the article for the update.