AEON Biopharma Appoints Rob Bancroft As New Chief Executive Officer

AEON Biopharma, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing a botulinum toxin complex for treating a range of therapeutic indications, has announced the appointment of Rob Bancroft as the new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 29, 2025. In addition to this role, Bancroft will also join the company’s Board of Directors.

With more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles within the life sciences industry, Rob Bancroft has a broad background in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare technology. Prior to his appointment at AEON, he served as the General Manager of the Therapeutics business at Revance Therapeutics, where he played a pivotal role in launching Daxxify®, a botulinum toxin treatment for cervical dystonia. 

Bancroft’s innovative approach to the launch strategy emphasized securing expert endorsements, establishing payer coverage, and building reimbursement infrastructure before committing to large-scale investments. This forward-thinking strategy contributed to the successful early adoption of Daxxify® and helped position the product as a leader in the $3 billion botulinum toxin therapeutics market.

Before his tenure at Revance, Bancroft was the President of Smith & Nephew’s Biotherapeutics division. His leadership followed the $782 million acquisition of Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, where he orchestrated a successful strategic turnaround that resulted in four consecutive years of accelerating growth for the division. Additionally, Bancroft has experience as the Chief Executive Officer of QMENTA, a neuroimaging SaaS company, where he guided the business through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and led a successful post-seed funding round.

Mr. Jost Fischer, Chairman of the AEON Board and Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, mentioned, “We are excited to welcome Rob as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of AEON. He is an exceptional leader who brings a wealth of experience in the therapeutic toxin industry, and a strong track record of building value through the execution of well-defined strategies. Rob is uniquely positioned to hit the ground running and lead the rest of the AEON team as we continue to advance our ABP-450 program along the planned 351(k) biosimilar regulatory pathway. We believe this strategy could bring ABP-450 to the U.S. market for all of BOTOX is currently approved and future therapeutic indications under a single FDA approval.”

Mr. Bancroft, stated, “I am excited to join the AEON team and work towards delivering on ABP-450’s tremendous potential as a biosimilar that shares the exact same 900kDa molecular weight as BOTOX. If approved, we believe ABP-450 could offer a scientifically validated and clinically comparable alternative to BOTOX, creating additional choice for physicians, helping expand access to care for patients who face cost-related barriers, and supporting broader system affordability. We are looking forward to announcing the results of our Biosimilar BPD Type 2a meeting with the FDA, which is anticipated in the second half of 2025, and next steps in the development program for ABP-450.”

Earlier in his career, Bancroft held senior leadership positions at Allergan, where he was responsible for the company’s global strategy and U.S. commercialization of BOTOX® across multiple therapeutic indications. His work at Allergan was instrumental in expanding the reach and effectiveness of BOTOX® in various medical applications. Rob Bancroft holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Southern California. His extensive experience and leadership in the life sciences sector will be invaluable as AEON Biopharma continues to advance its innovative treatments.