Dr. Anish Bhatnagar, a physician by training, was the Chief Executive Officer of Soleno Therapeutics since its creation in 2017.

With nearly three decades in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries, Dr. Bhatnagar’s experience spans development of biologics, drugs, drug-device combinations and diagnostic as well as therapeutic medical devices across numerous therapeutic areas including rare diseases, oncology, hematology, neurology, psychiatry, cardiovascular, allergy/immunology and pediatrics/neonatology.

At Soleno, Dr. Bhatnagar led the team responsible for developing and commercializing VYKAT XR, the first FDA-approved therapy for hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome.

His passion for delivering meaningful solutions for those impacted by rare diseases has been recognized with TIME Magazine naming him one of the 100 Most Influential People in Health for 2025, and his invited testimony to the United States Senate’s Special Committee on Aging where he testified on “Unlocking Hope: Access to Therapies for People with Rare, Progressive and Serious Diseases.” He was also awarded the “Champion of Hope” award from the Foundation of Prader Willi Research in 2025.

Dr. Bhatnagar has also been involved in the development of various approved products, such as Vykat XR (PWS), Bexxar (radioimmunotherapeutic for Non-Hodgkins lymphoma), Probuphine (for opioid addiction), Serenz (device for nasal allergies) and CoSense (diagnostic for neonatal hemolysis).

Dr. Bhatnagar currently serves on the Board of ImmuneEdge (private) and IndoUSrare, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating therapies for rare diseases in global markets, including India. He is also an Advisor to the Data Driven Discovery Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, the primary hub for data science and AI education and research within Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences.