Akcea Therapeutics Inc. named Damien McDevitt to its board.

McDevitt is the chief business officer of Akcea's parent, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. He will replace Stanley Crooke — Ionis' founder, chairman and CEO — who has resigned from Akcea's board.

Before joining Ionis in June, McDevitt was senior vice president of corporate development at Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. He had also served in various global and strategic business roles at GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

Cambridge, Mass.-based Akcea Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious and rare diseases.