--- description: Vertex launched the first CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy and a new class of nonopioid pain medication, among other breakthroughs. title: Physician-Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19701e2d2b770cff/69b0485fe2697a11e1473d9a/Reshman-Kewalramani_Erin-Clark%E2%80%94The-Boston-Globe-Getty-Images.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Feb 26, 2026 # Physician-Scientist Reshma Kewalramani Runs One of Biotech’s Biggest Companies by [Tharin Pillay](/author/tharin-pillay/) ## Tharin Pillay Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Pillay is an editorial fellow at TIME.  Reshma Kewalramani Reshma KewalramaniErin Clark—The Boston Globe/Getty Images A clear thread runs through Reshma Kewalramani’s career, connecting her start as a kidney doctor, her years leading drug research and development at Amgen, and her present role as CEO and president of [Vertex Pharmaceuticals](https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2025/7289665/vertex-pharmaceuticals/ "undefined"). “What I wanted to do was make medicines for patients,” she says. Kewalramani took the helm of Vertex in 2020, a move that made her the first female CEO of a large, public biotechnology company. Under [her leadership](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273788/reshma-kewalramani/ "undefined"), Vertex in late 2023 launched the first CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy—a treatment for sickle-cell disease—and a new class of FDA-approved nonopioid pain medication in January 2025\. The company has also continued to deliver breakthrough drugs for cystic fibrosis. “When I was in medical school, the average age of death \[for patients with cystic fibrosis\] was 27,” she says. Today, models suggest an average patient who starts medication in their youth will live beyond 70. But the astronomical cost of drug development can limit access to lifesaving treatments, particularly for communities in lower-income countries. “It’s a hard balance,” Kewalramani says of the tension between development and accessibility. “I feel like the best thing to do ... is to make sure that you do the most good for the most number of patients.” To aid in that effort, Vertex runs a pilot donation program that has provided its cystic fibrosis medicine for free to [hundreds of patients](https://www.vrtx.com/stories/we-wont-stop-message-cystic-fibrosis-community/ "undefined") in 14 countries, including India and El Salvador. The company is also exploring treatments for kidney disease, cell therapies for diabetes, and more nonopioid pain medicines. 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