RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 11, 2025--
Veranex, the industry’s first Innovation CRO (iCRO) redefining end-to-end MedTech development, today announced the appointment of Jose Pablo Morales, MD as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Morales’s addition to the executive leadership team reinforces Veranex’s commitment to accelerating innovation responsibly, helping clients navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape while driving clinical and commercial success.
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Advancing MedTech Innovation with Clinical and Regulatory Excellence
Dr. Morales joins Veranex following a distinguished career at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he provided clinical and regulatory oversight for more than 1,000 medical device submissions, including PMAs, IDEs, and breakthrough designations. He played a leading role in the implementation and adoption of the FDA’s Early Feasibility Studies (EFS) pathway and most recently served as Senior Medical Advisor in the Office of Clinical Policy, guiding cross-center initiatives on complex clinical trials and ethical standards.
His extensive background in cardiovascular and implantable device development spans both clinical practice and regulatory leadership, giving him a unique perspective on advancing safe, effective technologies from concept to patient care.
Guiding Veranex’s Clients into the Future
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Morales will lead the medical and clinical vision for the company’s integrated services platform. With deep experience in cardiovascular and implantable devices and a proven track record in clinical and regulatory excellence, his leadership will enhance Veranex’s expertise in modern trial design, real-world evidence generation, and digital innovation. This strengthens Veranex’s position as the Innovation CRO, helping clients chart a faster, smarter, and more efficient path for transformative technologies to patient benefit and market success.
“Dr. Morales brings unmatched experience in both clinical science and regulatory strategy,” said Lisa Boyle, Chief Executive Officer (Interim) at Veranex. “His leadership will strengthen our ability to help clients innovate confidently while advancing Veranex’s mission to deliver measurable impact across the product lifecycle.”
Momentum in a Transformative Market
The appointment builds on Veranex’s recent launch of the Innovation CRO model, an approach designed to streamline MedTech R&D and commercialization in a capital-tight environment.
“Veranex is stepping into an exciting new chapter, and I’m thrilled to join a team that’s redefining how MedTech innovation happens,” said Dr. Morales. “Together, we’ll help turn client concepts into reality with the speed, predictability, regulatory agility, and scientific rigor that sets us apart.”
About Veranex
Veranex is a global, fully integrated Innovation CRO dedicated to accelerating MedTech innovation from early concept through commercialization. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and powered by more than 800 specialists worldwide, Veranex combines design & engineering, preclinical, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, and market access expertise to deliver clarity, confidence, and speed— turning vision into velocity for device and diagnostics innovators.
For more information, visitVeranex.com
Dr. Jose Pablo Morales joins Veranex, the industry's first Innovation CRO, as their new Chief Marketing Officer.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine denied Moscow's claims that a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as Kyiv on Sunday launched new strikes overnight on Russian energy sites.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian drones struck the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, causing a large-scale fire. It said the extent of the damage was being clarified, and claimed the refinery has been supplying Moscow’s war effort.
The refinery belongs to Russia’s state oil enterprise, Rosneft. Local Russian Gov. Roman Busargin, said Ukrainian drones had damaged civilian infrastructure, but did not immediately give details. Astra, an independent Russian news channel, said an oil refinery was on fire in the city of Saratov.
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russia’s oil and gas facilities in recent months, arguing the energy sector both funds and directly fuels Moscow’s more than four-year invasion.
“Tonight, our soldiers applied Ukraine’s long-range sanctions against an oil refinery in Saratov, Russia — approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the front line. A significant achievement,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media later on Sunday.
Drone debris also set fire to a fuel depot in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, which borders Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Gov. Yuriy Slyusar reported on Telegram on Sunday. He said residents of nearby homes were evacuated.
Ukraine's General Staff on Sunday confirmed its forces were behind the strike on the facility in the town of Matveev Kurgan. Local authorities said a drone strike on the depot had caused a large-scale fire across a wide area.
According to its General Staff, Ukraine also struck the Lazarevo pumping station in Russia's Kirov region northeast of Moscow, more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled land. The station helps ship Russian oil from Siberia to Belarus.
Regional Gov. Alexander Sokolov said drones had hit a facility in the Kirov region, without giving further details.
Kyiv denied that a Ukrainian drone struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest.
Russia’s state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, said on Saturday that the drone exploded after tearing a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. Rosatom’s CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of a deliberate attack.
“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation,” Likhachev said. He added there was no damage to main equipment.
Ukraine’s military said it did not target or strike the plant, describing the Russian claim as “yet another propaganda ploy.” A military statement said that it adheres to international humanitarian law and is aware of the "consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.”
“Along the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used,” it added.
Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — expressed “serious concern” in a post on X following the incident.
The IAEA said in a statement Sunday that its inspectors at the plant “observed damage to the exterior of a turbine building” that was “consistent with the impact" of a drone. It gave no details of where the drone may have come from, but said radiation levels at the site remained normal.
“During a site walk down, the team saw damage to a metal access hatch located several levels up in the building, as well as a few pieces of debris and burned optical fiber remains on the ground," the agency said in a post on X. It added that its inspectors had requested access to the inside of the turbine hall for further examination.
Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in the early weeks of the war, and it remains close to the front lines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, one of four Russia has formally annexed despite lacking full military control or international recognition for its actions.
The nuclear plant has repeatedly come under fire since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, sparking fears of a nuclear accident. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for targeting the plant.
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday that it had shot down 212 of 299 drones launched by Russia overnight. It said 14 drones had reached their targets, while drone debris fell in five locations.
A truck driver died early on Sunday as drones hit a parking lot in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, according to local administration head Vyacheslav Chaus.
Russian drones struck the city of Dnipro and an oil refinery in Ukraine’s Rivne region, causing fires, authorities said. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, of which Dnipro is the capital, said later on Sunday that one person was killed and nine were injured in Russian attacks earlier in the day on various parts of the province.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Servicemen of Ukraine's defense intelligence set up the Peklo (Hell) missile drone against Russian in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Servicemen of Ukraine's defense intelligence set up drones against Russian in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
