Adial Pharmaceuticals names Matt Davidson president and CEO
ADIL•Adial Pharmaceuticals appointed former Verrica Pharmaceuticals CEO Matt Davidson president and CEO, effective October 28, 2026. The company also named Julie Saiki chief strategy officer, Celia Economides chief financial officer, David Rubenstein chief scientist and Ajay Duggal consulting chief medical officer.
1. Leadership appointments
Adial Pharmaceuticals appointed Matt Davidson president and CEO, effective October 28, 2026. Davidson previously served as CEO of Verrica Pharmaceuticals. Julie Saiki became chief strategy officer, Celia Economides joined as chief financial officer, David Rubenstein became chief scientist and Ajay Duggal was appointed consulting chief medical officer.
2. Executive backgrounds
Saiki previously led Stanford's Phase 1b ulcerative colitis study and consulted at McKinsey & Company. Economides most recently served as CellCentric's chief financial and business officer; Rubenstein was Dermavant Sciences' chief scientific officer, leading tapinarof development; and Duggal led Takeda's general medicine therapeutic area as vice president.
