Independent Non-Executive Director & Senior Advisor - biotech, microbiome and cardio-metabolic medicine
Turning scientific conviction into regulatory and commercial outcomes.
Current engagements, 2026
About
Dr. Woerle is a physician-scientist and independent director who advises biotech boards and CEOs on the scientific, clinical and regulatory decisions that determine enterprise value - what to in-license, what to kill, how to design a trial that wins the label, and how to defend it at the FDA.
Over two decades he has sat on both sides of the decision: as Global VP Medicine for Cardio-Renal-Metabolism at Boehringer Ingelheim (medical architect of Jardiance® and Trajenta®; EMPA-REG OUTCOME, the first CV-mortality label in diabetes; Galenus-Preis 2022), and as Chief Scientific & Medical Officer of Nestlé Health Science (>50 diligences; R&D integration of Aimmune / Palforzia®; scientific co-lead of the Nestlé-Seres collaboration through to the first FDA-approved oral microbiome therapy, Vowst®).
His current focus is selective: partnering with a small number of clinical- and pre-clinical-stage biotechs where a senior scientific and regulatory voice materially shifts the trajectory of the asset.
His career began in nursing - which is still where the guiding principle comes from: patient-relevant innovation is also the best commercial strategy. It is the lens that turned a glucose trial into a mortality trial, and that pushed the NHSc microbiome portfolio toward a regulated therapy rather than a nutrition claim.
Track Record
Nestlé Health Science - CSMO
Scaled R&D. Closed the deals. Shipped two FDA firsts.
Boehringer Ingelheim - Global VP Medicine, CRM
Changed how the industry designs diabetes trials.
Academic & Clinical Foundation
Research Fellow, Rochester (Gerich lab) - LMU & TU Munich - Registered Nurse, LMU Munich
Expertise
CVOT and renal/HF outcome-trial design that turned Jardiance® into a cardio-renal-metabolic franchise. The test applied to every trial: will the result change how patients live - and therefore what the label, the payer and the market will pay for?
Three FDA firsts under scientific leadership: first CV-mortality label in diabetes (Jardiance®), first oral microbiome therapy (Vowst®), first oral peanut desensitisation (Palforzia®). Prepared and defended the Jardiance AdCom personally.
Ran >50 diligences at NHSc - including the decisions behind the Aimmune, Zenpep® and Vowst® deals and the Enterome and Codexis collaborations. First-principles mechanistic and clinical assessment, investor-grade.
The scientific and regulatory voice on investor-driven boards: pipeline re-prioritisation, endpoint selection, partnering and exit readiness. Current engagements at clinical-stage (NodThera) and pre-clinical (DiogenX) - with experience spanning microbiome, incretin, NLRP3 and beta-cell biology.
Services
Non-Executive Director and Scientific Committee chairmanship for clinical- and pre-clinical-stage biotechs. A balancing scientific and regulatory voice at the table at inflection points - partnering, M&A and exit readiness included.
On-demand counsel to senior leaders navigating complex R&D and commercial bets: pipeline shaping, asset evaluation, KOL and payer narrative design, FDA AdCom preparation and leadership-team build-out.
Trial design, endpoint strategy and evidence generation that wins a differentiated label. FDA, EMA, PMDA; historic label expansions (CV-mortality); G-BA / IQWiG benefit assessments.
First-principles mechanistic and clinical assessment of therapeutic programmes for investors, licensors and boards. The same lens applied to >50 NHSc diligences.
Contact
Whether you are assembling a board, evaluating an asset or need a senior scientific voice in the room for a milestone inflection.
Endorsements
"A rare combination of medical and business judgement, integrity, and a distinctive talent for developing others. He has left a lasting mark on NHSc and decisively strengthened its reputation as a leader in evidence-based nutrition and medical innovation."
"A unique combination of scientific rigour, strategic vision and the proven ability to bridge academia, clinical medicine and global industry. My highest recommendation for any senior leadership role in academia, industry or public health."