Full-Time

Medical Science Liaison

Field Medical Affairs, Regional Medical Liaison

Updated on 9/4/2026

Kailera Therapeutics

Kailera Therapeutics

51-200 employees

Clinical-stage obesity and metabolic drugs developer

Compensation Overview

$196k - $235k/yr

+ Annual bonus + Equity grants

Remote in USA

Remote

Travel up to 60–80% is required, primarily within the assigned territory.

PharmD, PhD, MD

Category
Biology & Biotech (1)
Required Skills
CRM

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Requirements
  • A minimum of 2–3 years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience or relevant experience is required; Medical Science Liaison experience is strongly preferred.
  • Deep scientific knowledge and genuine passion for obesity medicine, metabolism, endocrinology, or related therapeutic areas are required.
  • Prior experience supporting clinical trial site engagement and early development programs is required.
  • The candidate must be able to understand, interpret, and communicate complex clinical and scientific data.
  • The candidate must have strong presentation, communication, interpersonal, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • The candidate must demonstrate strong strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
  • The candidate must be able to work independently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with minimal supervision.
  • Willingness to travel up to 60–80%, primarily within the assigned territory, is required.
  • A valid driver's license and ability to travel by car and air are required.
  • An advanced degree is required: PharmD, PhD, MD, or equivalent in life sciences.
Responsibilities
  • Develop and maintain a strategic and comprehensive territory plan for engagement with top key opinion leaders, investigators, centers of excellence, health systems, and professional societies in obesity medicine and related therapy areas.
  • Establish and maintain peer-to-peer relationships with key opinion leaders, key decision makers, clinical investigators, and healthcare professionals in obesity medicine and related therapy areas.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert at key medical and scientific conferences, advisory boards, roundtables, clinical investigator meetings, speaker training, and internal meetings.
  • Deliver scientifically balanced, evidence-based presentations on the company’s pipeline, disease state, products, and emerging data.
  • Respond to unsolicited medical information requests with accuracy and compliance.
  • Proactively identify healthcare professional educational needs and address them with fair, balanced, tailored responses.
  • Consistently execute the current Medical Affairs strategy and field medical priorities.
  • Support clinical trial site identification, feasibility assessment, and investigator engagement.
  • Provide scientific support to active and potential clinical trial sites.
  • Facilitate communication between clinical operations teams and investigators.
  • Monitor and report competitive intelligence and disease landscape insights from the field.
  • Gather and synthesize real-world insights on clinical practice patterns, treatment paradigms, and unmet needs in obesity management.
  • Identify evidence gaps and contribute to Medical Affairs strategy and publication planning.
  • Support investigator-initiated research opportunities aligned with company objectives.
  • Collaborate with Clinical Development, Regulatory, Market Access, and Commercial partners to ensure medical insights inform strategic planning.
  • Attend and provide coverage at relevant medical and scientific congresses.
  • Identify and facilitate speaker development opportunities for external experts.
  • Stay current on emerging scientific literature, treatment guidelines, and competitive landscapes.
  • Participate in project teams supporting MSL strategies, tactics, trainings, and operations as delegated by field medical leadership.
  • Contribute to Medical Affairs metrics, qualitative and quantitative MSL dashboards, and standard operating procedures for the MSL function.
  • Ensure all activities comply with applicable regulations, company policies, and industry codes.
  • Maintain accurate and timely documentation of all field interactions and insights in customer relationship management or assigned systems.
  • Manage regional resource allocation and territory planning.
  • Ensure all field engagements adhere to ethical, legal, and regulatory standards.
  • Maintain integrity and the highest ethical standards in all internal and external engagements.
Desired Qualifications
  • Prior extensive therapeutic-area experience in obesity, endocrinology, or metabolic disorders is strongly preferred.
  • A track record of success in a fast-paced, clinical-stage, entrepreneurial biotechnology environment is preferred.
  • Established relationships within the obesity and metabolism medical community are preferred.
  • A track record of generating actionable insights that influenced medical or commercial strategy is preferred.
  • Medical Science Liaison experience is strongly preferred.

Kailera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on obesity and related metabolic conditions, acquiring externally sourced drug candidates to advance multiple assets into clinical development. Its lead program, KAI-9531, is an injectable dual agonist of GLP-1 and GIP receptors for obesity and type 2 diabetes, with a pipeline that also includes an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist (KAI-7535), an oral tablet form of KAI-9531, and an injectable tri-agonist targeting GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors (KAI-4729). The company secured exclusive rights to develop four metabolic assets from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and is backed by a roughly $400 million Series A to accelerate development. Led by CEO Ron Renaud and with a board chaired by John F. Milligan, Kailera aims to bring multiple metabolic therapies toward commercialization to improve patient outcomes.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Waltham, Massachusetts

Founded

2024

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Kailera held $1.17 billion cash on June 30, 2026, funding mid-2028.
  • FDA-active oral ribupatide and Phase 2b injection data could land in 2027.
  • August 2026 hiring of Nur Nicholson strengthens manufacturing ahead of commercialization.

What critics are saying

  • KAI-7535 caused nausea in about 70% and vomiting above 65% in July 2026.
  • Global Phase 3 readouts slip until 2028, leaving Kailera exposed to Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
  • If ribupatide or KAI-7535 miss efficacy or tolerability, Kailera's obesity franchise collapses.

What makes Kailera Therapeutics unique

  • Kailera owns four clinical-stage obesity assets, spanning injections, oral pills, and tri-agonists.
  • Ribupatide posted 17.7% weight loss in China, outperforming many obesity programs.
  • Ron Renaud and John F. Milligan bring serial-acquirer and scale-up experience.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Wellness Program

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Performance Bonus

Tuition Reimbursement

Commuter Benefits

Disability and Life Insurance

Equity Grants

Stock Options

Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Flexible Time Off

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Hybrid Work Options

Tuition Reimbursement

Commuter Benefits

Phone/Internet Stipend

Home Office Stipend

Mental Health Support

Family Planning Benefits

Fertility Treatment Support

Tuition Reimbursement

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

14%

1 year growth

14%

2 year growth

24%
Associated Press
Aug 12th, 2026
Kailera advances obesity pipeline with $1.2B cash, plans Phase 3 oral ribupatide trial in H1 2027

Kailera Therapeutics reported its second quarter 2026 financial results, highlighting progress across its obesity treatment pipeline. The clinical-stage biotechnology company has an active IND for ribupatide oral with the US FDA and plans to initiate global Phase 3 obesity trials in the first half of 2027. The company fully enrolled its Phase 2b high-dose trial for ribupatide injection in obesity, with data expected in mid-2027. Enrollment continues in its global Phase 3 KaiNETIC programme, encompassing three trials with over 4,700 participants, with data anticipated in 2028. As of 30 June 2026, Kailera held cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $1,171.8 million, expected to fund operations into mid-2028. The company reported a net loss of $111.3 million for the quarter. Kailera expanded its executive team by appointing Nur Nicholson as chief technology officer and Kathleen Tregoning as chief corporate affairs officer.

GlobeNewswire
Aug 11th, 2026
Kailera Therapeutics appoints Nur Nicholson as Chief Technology Officer.

Kailera Therapeutics appoints Nur Nicholson as Chief Technology Officer. Veteran technical operations executive to lead manufacturing and supply chain strategy as company advances late-stage obesity pipeline toward commercialization. WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Kailera Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KLRA) (Kailera), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on elevating the next era of obesity care, today announced the appointment of Nur Nicholson as Chief Technology Officer, effective August 31, 2026. "We are excited to welcome Nur as an executive at such a pivotal moment for Kailera," said Ron Renaud, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kailera. "As we advance ribupatide injection through global Phase 3 trials, look to begin our Phase 3 program for ribupatide oral in the first half of next year, and continue the development of our broader pipeline, Nur's track record of building resilient manufacturing networks and leading organizations through commercial launch will be instrumental to our success." "Obesity care is advancing at an extraordinary pace, but breakthrough science is only part of the equation. Ensuring patients can benefit from these innovations requires dependable, scalable supply capabilities that can keep pace with the needs of a rapidly evolving market," said Nur Nicholson, Chief Technology Officer of Kailera. "I am excited to join Kailera at this important stage of growth and to help strengthen the technical foundation that will support disciplined development, commercial readiness and long-term impact for people living with obesity." Nur brings nearly three decades of experience leading global technical operations, manufacturing, quality, supply chain and other organizations across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She previously served as Chief Technical Operations Officer at Apellis Pharmaceuticals, where she built and led the company's technical operations organization through its transition from clinical-stage biotech to commercial-scale enterprise. Prior to Apellis, she was Head of Global Supply Chain and Vice President, North American Business Operations and Intelligence at Galderma, where she directed global supply chain operations for a $10 billion dermatology and aesthetics organization operating in more than 100 countries. Earlier in her career, she held global supply chain and operations leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Alcon Pharmaceuticals, a Novartis company, including Director of Global Supply Chain for the Pharma Franchise and Director of Global Sales/Operations Planning and Data Management. Nur holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Texas Christian University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Middle East Technical University. About Kailera Therapeutics Kailera Therapeutics (Kailera) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on elevating the next era of obesity care by progressing a diversified pipeline to provide options for people living with obesity no matter where they are in their treatment journey. With an obesity-first focus, Kailera is advancing four clinical-stage product candidates leveraging multiple GLP-1-based mechanisms of action and routes of administration specifically designed to address critical needs in the current therapeutic landscape with a lead product candidate, ribupatide injection (also known as KAI-9531), that has the potential for the greatest weight loss. Ribupatide injection is in global Phase 3 trials as a once-weekly injectable GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist. Kailera is expanding the ribupatide franchise by developing a once-daily oral formulation with the goal of providing an oral option with the potential for compelling weight loss and highly differentiated tolerability. Additionally, Kailera is advancing the development of KAI-7535, a once-daily oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, and KAI-4729, a once-weekly injectable GLP-1/GIP/glucagon receptor tri-agonist. Kailera's vision is to deliver category-leading obesity management medications that give people the power to restore their health and transform their lives. Kailera is based in Waltham, MA. For more information, visit www.kailera.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X. Special Note Regarding Kailera Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the profile of product candidates, the potential of Kailera's portfolio, the timing, design and outcome of research and development activities, including with respect to the timing of initiation and completion of clinical trials and the design and goals of clinical trials, market opportunities for product candidates, the competitive landscape, timing and format of sharing of full clinical trial data, future results of operations and financial position, sufficiency of cash position to fund operations, and participation in upcoming events. Forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "suggest," "plan," "goal," "vision," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would," or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Kailera cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. Information in this press release may also include statements relating to past performance, which should not be regarded as a reliable indicator of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions together with projections of the future which are inherently uncertain, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, uncertainties inherent in clinical development, regulatory review, manufacturing, competition, market opportunities, reliance on third parties, estimates of capital requirements, needs for additional financing, and other important factors, including those discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Kailera's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Kailera undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Kailera may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Contact Information Maura Gavaghan Vice President, Investor Relations [email protected]

Informa TechTarget
Jul 23rd, 2026
Lilly, with new data, to seek FDA approval of obesity drug retatrutide.

Lilly, with new data, to seek FDA approval of obesity drug retatrutide. The new findings position Lilly to file an application for the highly anticipated medicine, but also leave some questions about the additive benefits a "triple-G" drug has on heart health. Published July 23, 2026 By Kristin Jensen Dive brief: * Eli Lilly on Thursday bolstered the case for its new experimental obesity medicine, announcing the success of two more Phase 3 trials and plans to seek approval of the drug next year. * The Triumph-2 and Triumph-3 studies build on research released in May that found the drug, retatrutide, could help people lose 30% of their body weight after 104 weeks, reaching a level associated with bariatric surgery. The two new trials included overweight or obese patients who also had either type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. * The overall weight loss in the two studies was less than in the Triumph-1 study released in May, showing an average of 21% body weight loss after 80 weeks in the diabetes group and 23% loss in the cardiovascular disease cohort at the highest doses. Still, those results met expectations for patients with underlying conditions who often lose less weight, RBC Capital Markets analyst Trung Huynh wrote in a note to clients. Dive insight: Lilly aims to be the first drugmaker to offer a new approach in the increasingly crowded obesity treatment market. Retatrutide is designed to super charge weight loss by activating three hormone receptors, GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. By contrast, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic/Wegovy medicine works on GLP-1, and Lilly's Mounjaro/Zepbound focuses on GLP-1 and GIP. The results have been impressing researchers and investors for years, and the promise of retatrutide has drawn extraordinary attention. Some patients have resorted to purchasing it on the black market, and when a published report from Stat News revealed that one 79-year-old patient got special access to the drug in April, lawmakers pressed U.S. officials to find out if that person was President Donald Trump. Lilly has seen great success with its market-leading injectable tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity. The drug recently became the best-selling medicine in the world and propelled Lilly to become the first pharmaceutical company worth more than $1 trillion. But retatrutide would enter a market with multiple effective options and that's recently been shaken up by the arrival of oral alternatives, Novo's Wegovy pill and Lilly's Foundayo. Other companies including Pfizer, Kailera Therapeutics and Amgen are vying to improve on the class, too. And while retatrutide has shown powerful weight loss results, it also appears to come with more side effects, which, to some analysts, might limit its use to patients who have the most weight to lose. For the most part, patients who experienced side effects while taking retatrutide reported symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, constipation and vomiting. But analysts are paying close attention to its impact on heart health. While Lilly's studies weren't designed to definitively prove whether retatrutide could lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes, investigators nonetheless tracked the drug's impact on these kinds of outcomes. In the treament group in the Triumph-3 study, for instance, there were 27 "MACE-3" events - cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks or strokes - compared to 23 in the placebo group. Another measure, "MACE-5," which includes all-cause death, heart attack, stroke, heart failure and instances of a kind of cardiovascular medical procedure, favored the treatment group over placebo in that study. In its press release, Lilly mentioned that these events occurred less frequently than it had expected. And the relatively small sample size and follow-up time makes it "difficult to draw solid conclusions at this point," William Blair analyst Andy Hsieh said in a note to clients. One possibility is that the placebo group patients were using a weight-loss drug "off-record," he wrote. Earlier this year, Lilly included retatrutide in a group of medicines that might be slated for regulatory submission by the end of 2026. But the company now says it's set for a Food and Drug Administration application in the first quarter of next year. Lilly told CNBC it needed more time to gather manufacturing and quality-control data for the agency.

Associated Press
Jun 29th, 2026
Kailera Therapeutics names Kathleen Tregoning as chief corporate affairs officer

Kailera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on obesity care, has appointed Kathleen Tregoning as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. The announcement comes as the company advances late-stage clinical trials for its obesity treatment pipeline. Tregoning brings over 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical corporate affairs. She previously served as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Cerevel Therapeutics prior to its 2024 acquisition by AbbVie, and held senior roles at Sanofi and Biogen. She currently sits on the boards of Compass Pathways and Spero Therapeutics. Kailera is developing four clinical-stage product candidates, including ribupatide injection, a once-weekly GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist currently in global Phase 3 trials. The company is also developing oral and tri-agonist formulations targeting various obesity treatment needs.

Longevity.Technology
Jun 2nd, 2026
Kailera Therapeutics to share updates on Phase 3 weight-loss drug.

Kailera Therapeutics to share updates on Phase 3 weight-loss drug. Kailera Therapeutics, listed on Nasdaq as KLRA and based in Waltham, Massachusetts, will present at the 2026 Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference on Thursday, June 4, with Ron Renaud, president and chief executive officer, scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m. EDT. A live webcast will be available on the events page of the company's investor website and a replay will be archived for 90 days. Kailera is a clinical-stage biotechnology firm focused on obesity care and is advancing four clinical-stage product candidates that leverage GLP-1-based mechanisms, including lead candidate ribupatide injection (KAI-9531), a once-weekly GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist currently in global Phase 3 trials. The company is also developing a once-daily oral formulation of ribupatide, KAI-7535 (a once-daily oral GLP-1 receptor agonist), and KAI-4729 (a once-weekly injectable GLP-1/GIP/glucagon receptor tri-agonist). The company claims ribupatide injection has the potential for the greatest weight loss, and according to the company, it seeks to provide treatment options across the obesity care continuum.