# Craig Hopkinson

> Craig Hopkinson is a physician turned research leader who runs the entire discovery-to-approval engine at Alkermes as Executive Vice President of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer. Trained as a doctor in South Africa, he spent nearly three decades at companies like Pfizer, Actelion, Elan, Eisai and Vertex before joining Alkermes in 2017. He now oversees the neuroscience-focused pipeline that includes the company's closely watched orexin program for sleep and central nervous system conditions.

- **Role:** Executive Vice President, Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer at Alkermes
- **Organizations:** Alkermes, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Albireo Pharma
- **Nationality:** South African
- **Education:** Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB, equivalent to M.D.), University of the Orange Free State, South Africa
- **Known for:** Leads the full R&D organization at Alkermes: discovery, pharmaceutical development, early and late clinical development, regulatory affairs, clinical operations, project management and medical affairs, Nearly 30 years building and leading clinical development and medical affairs organizations, Has led development teams across neuroscience, oncology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, inflammation, genetic diseases, hematology and neurodegenerative diseases

## Career timeline

- **1990s-2000s** — Held leadership positions at Pfizer, Actelion Pharmaceuticals and Elan Pharmaceuticals
- **2000s-2010s** — Held executive roles at Eisai Pharmaceuticals, including President of Eisai Value Maximization Systems, President and CMO of the Frontier Product Creation Unit, and VP of Medical Affairs, Oncology
- **pre-2017** — Senior Vice President of Medicines Development and Head of Global Medical Affairs at Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- **2017** — Joined Alkermes as Chief Medical Officer and SVP of Clinical Development and Medical Affairs (May 30, 2017)
- **2022-2023** — Served on the board of directors of Albireo Pharma until its acquisition by Ipsen in March 2023
- **present** — Executive Vice President of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer at Alkermes

## Achievements

- Leads the full R&D organization at Alkermes: discovery, pharmaceutical development, early and late clinical development, regulatory affairs, clinical operations, project management and medical affairs
- Nearly 30 years building and leading clinical development and medical affairs organizations
- Has led development teams across neuroscience, oncology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, inflammation, genetic diseases, hematology and neurodegenerative diseases
- Oversaw advancement of Alkermes' neuroscience pipeline, including its orexin program for sleep and CNS disorders
- Served on the board of Albireo Pharma through its acquisition by Ipsen

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Alkermes continued to showcase its psychiatry and orexin-biology research at major scientific meetings, with Hopkinson leading the R&D organization behind the data.
- **2025** — Alkermes advanced its orexin agonist program toward late-stage development for sleep and CNS conditions under Hopkinson's R&D leadership.

## Links

- Website: https://www.alkermes.com/about-us/leadership/leaders/craig-hopkinson-m-d
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-hopkinson-m-d-7769673/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/craig-hopkinson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-21