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Pharma CEOs plot a new course for R&D

John Carroll — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:20:33 -0400

Writers for BusinessWeek recently sat down with a lineup of CEOs from the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies to explore what ails the industry and what they need to do differently. Not surprisingly, the conversation quickly shifted to research and development, where they're failing to make much headway despite investing huge sums in new programs. You can bet that no one is standing still.

James Cornelius (photo) at Bristol-Myers Squibb: "It's troubling in that the Food & Drug Administration is approving 18 to 20 [new drugs a year], but we're spending about $60 billion on research. That equation doesn't work. Something has to give. We'll have to be selective in the R&D bets we make. We're going to see companies working together more to address that R&D productivity issue."

Jeffrey Kindler (photo) at Pfizer: "The expression I use here a lot is: "the spirit of small, the power of scale." I want our business units to be small enough that they can get all the benefits of an entrepreneurial organization. They can do what needs to be done to meet their customers' needs on the one hand, but on the other hand get the benefits where scale does help. Scale helps in late-stage clinical development trials that are very expensive; scale helps commercialization in large markets. If we can get the balance between those two things right, we are going to effectively grow the business."

Severin Schwan (photo) at Roche: "Our philosophy is that people need enough freedom to make decisions in a decentralized manner. One thing we have done in the last 18 months is to further decentralize our management model in pharma by creating five "disease biology areas. DBAs set priorities and make portfolio decisions for their specific diseases. An interesting thing happened when we implemented this new structure: We saw them streamlining certain projects."

- read the article from BusinessWeek

Top staffers resign from Dyadic

John Carroll — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:50 -0400

The pending re-employment of former Dyadic CEO Mark Emalfarb led to the resignations of the CEO and five top officers. Out are CEO Wayne Moor, CFO Lisa De La Pointe, CBO Alexander (Sasha) Bondar, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing Kent M. Sproat, Senior Vice President of Research and Development Daniel Michalopoulos and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Charles W. Kling IV.

Dr. Glenn J. Gormley has been named president and CEO of Gemin X Pharmaceuticals. Gormley had held senior posts at Novartis, AstraZeneca and Merck. Gordon C. Shore, chief scientific officer, had been interim CEO.

AngioGenex has appointed William Garland PhD as chief executive officer.

Javelin Pharmaceuticals announced that Dr. Daniel Carr, vice chairman and chief medical officer, has become president. Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D., Javelin's founder and president, has assumed the role of executive director.

Third Rock Ventures has named Kevin Gillis as chief financial officer.

Amira Pharmaceuticals has hired Michael V. Swanson as the company's chief financial officer.

Senetek has appointed Phillip Rose as its chief operating officer and retained J. David Bruner as a full-time marketing consultant.

Noven Pharmaceuticals has appointed Steven M. Dinh to the newly created position of vice president and chief scientific officer.

CeNeRx BioPharma announced the appointment of Dr. Mahnaz Asgharnejad as vice president of clinical development.

Affimed Therapeutics has appointed Volker Lang, Ph.D., as its chief business officer.

Quintiles Transnational named Christopher H. Cabell, M.D., MHS, FACC, as chief medical and scientific officer. Cabell succeeds Oren Cohen, M.D., who was recently appointed senior vice president, clinical research strategies.

Amgen has named Anna Richo as the new senior vice-president of worldwide compliance.

Synexus has appointed Dr. Sándor Kis country manager of Hungary.

Dr. David Barnes, Dr. Douglas Cowart, and Dr. Gary Schwartz have joined the PharmaGap Clinical Development Group to take PhG-alpha-1 through the process required to gain approval to commence clinical trials in humans.

Orexo has hired Robin Wright to take charge of business and commercial development.

Dr. Raymond Salemme has joined BioLeap's advisory board.

Adolor has appointed Guido Magni as a director.

Oncothyreon has named Daniel K. Spiegelman and Stephen K. Burley, M.D., D.Phil. to its board of directors for three-year terms. Alex Giaquinto, Ph.D., a former Schering-Plough senior executive, has joined the Biothera board of directors.

EyeGate Pharma has appointed Praveen Tyle, Ph.D., as a member of its board of directors.

Exelixis gets $150M credit line

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Exelixis has struck a $150 million financing deal with Deerfield Management. At Exelixis discretion, the developer can draw down the money as needed over the next 18 months in $15 million installments.

"This transaction significantly increases our financial strength and flexibility over the next 18 months, even if we don't draw on the facility," said George A. Scangos, president and chief executive of Exelixis. "The Deerfield facility gives us the time to see our way through this period of major pipeline and business milestones and puts us in a position of strength as we advance our various partnering discussions."

- here's the release on the financing
- read the AP report

Pharmacopeia cuts 15% of workforce

Fri, 30 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

In an effort to streamline its business and save cash, Pharmacopeia is laying off 15 percent of its workforce and decreasing "other expenses through improved operational efficiencies and increased financial discipline." The layoffs are part of the company's ongoing effort to focus resources on clinical and later-stage discovery programs.

Earlier this month Pharmacopeia announced positive trial results for PS433540, a hypertension drug. In a statement, interim CEO Joseph Mollica said it was the right time to put more resources towards the drug development. "In order to maximize shareholder value it is essential that we focus our efforts on the programs that can provide the greatest return," noted Mollica. The company is also testing PS433540 as a kidney disease treatment. Pharmacopeia expects the layoffs and other cost reduction efforts to save $10 million in 2009.

- see Pharmacopeia's release

Targeted Genetics reports tgAAC94 data

Fri, 30 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Targeted Genetics is reporting results from an early-stage study of tgAAC94 for inflammatory arthritis. The drug uses a specially engineered virus to transport a gene. When working properly, the therapy produces proteins that eliminate the inflammatory molecules that cause arthritis. The company said that while the trial was not powered to show statistical significance, "tgAAC94 has the potential to improve disease symptoms that are refractory to other therapies, including systemic TNF antagonists." According to CEO H. Stewart Parker, "these clinical observations will help guide further clinical development."

A clinical trial of tgAAC94 was placed on hold last year after the death of a study participant, which threw a spotlight on the safety record of the whole gene therapy field. However, the FDA determined tgAAC94 was not to blame and the study continued.

- here's Targeted Genetics' release

Editor's note: This article has been corrected. The previous version inaccurately reported that the trial had failed. However, the trial was not set up to determine efficacy.

Favrille dumps Specifid after trial failure

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

San Diego-based Favrille has halted development of Specifid, a treatment for follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In a Phase III trial the drug failed to show a statistically significant improvement in the treatment arm, failing both primary and secondary endpoints.

"We are clearly very disappointed with the data from this trial, particularly on behalf of the patients and their families," said John P. Longenecker, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Favrille. "Based on these results, we are discontinuing development of Specifid and are currently evaluating steps to conserve cash and recognize value on our assets.

- here's Favrille's release for more

Related Article:
Favrille raises $45M for Phase III work

Somaxon secures cash for Silenor marketing

Fri, 23 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

As Somaxon waits for the FDA okay on insomnia treatment Silenor, the company has lined up funding for marketing and commercialization of the drug. The company inked a $15 million secured loan agreement with Oxford Finance Corporation and Silicon Valley Bank. In addition, Kingsbridge Capital has committed to provide up to $50 million of capital through the purchase of newly-issued shares of Somaxon's common stock.

"The the availability of these funds will support our financial position as we continue to move forward in discussions with a number of companies regarding a potential strategic collaboration relating to the commercialization of Silenor," said Somaxon's interim CEO David F. Hale.

- check out the Somaxon release

Pharmacopeia shares rise on blood pressure data

Fri, 16 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

Pharmacopeia's shares were up today on trial results for PS433540, a hypertension drug. Data showed 'significant' blood pressure reductions in a Phase IIa study in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. The company is also testing PS433540 as a kidney disease treatment.

"We are very pleased with the results of this important Phase IIa trial and look forward to future studies which will further assess the potential of PS433540, perhaps even beyond blood pressure lowering...We believe PS433540's dual mechanism of action may have a positive effect on diabetic kidney disease," said Joseph A. Mollica, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board and Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Pharmacopeia.

- take a look at Pharmacopeia's release

C&L: Una Ryan leaves Avant

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:59:52 -0400

Avant Immunotherapeutics today announced the departure of Una Ryan, Ph.D, President and CEO, effective immediately.

Watson Pharmaceuticals announced that co-founder and Chairman Allen Chao has resigned from the board of directors to pursue other business activities. Board member Andrew Turner will become nonexecutive chairman.

Ardea Biosciences has named John Beck senior vice president, finance and operations and chief financial officer.

Encorium Group has appointed Philip Calamia as its interim chief financial officer.

PregLem has named Sven Zimmermann, a biotech analyst at UBS Investment Bank, as its new chief financial officer.

Nucryst Pharmaceuticals revealed the appointment of David Holtz as vice president and chief financial officer.

Kendle has appointed Patricia Williams to the position of vice president, commercial operations.

Adnavance Technologies has appointed Christian P. Valcke, Ph.D., to its scientific advisory board.

Gilead Sciences on Wednesday said that Chief Executive Officer John C. Martin was named chairman of the biotechnology company's board of directors.

Vyteris named John E. Burrows and Susan Guerin to the company's board of directors,

Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation has named John Varian to the company's board of directors.

DOR BioPharma announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Schaber, PhD, has joined the board of directors of the Alliance for Biosecurity.

Inovio Biomedical announced that Patrick Gan was elected as the company's eighth director at Inovio's annual general meeting.

Human Genome Sciences announced that John LaMattina, Ph.D., who retired in late 2007 as president of Pfizer Global Research and Development, has been appointed to the HGS board of directors.

Robert Hill has joined the Biothera board of directors.

Novacea cuts staff after partner dumps collaboration

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

A month after Schering-Plough pulled the plug on its collaboration with Novacea for a new prostate cancer therapy--Asentar--the little biotech company announced that it will cut its work force by more than half. Over the next two months Novacea's head count will dwindle from 37 to 15.

"While we believe the company is in a good financial position, the work force reduction was a very difficult decision for the management team, and we extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of the affected employees," said Chairman and Chief Executive John P. Walker.

- see Novacea's release for more on the cuts
- read the AP report

C&L: Ajit Gill tapped to run Auspex

Wed, 07 May 2008 06:59:52 -0400

Ajit Gill has joined Auspex Pharmaceuticals as president and chief executive officer. In conjunction with the recent financing round, Pratik Shah, Ph.D., partner at Thomas, McNerney & Partners, and David J. Collier, M.D., managing director at CMEA Ventures, have joined the Auspex board of directors.

Eisai has named Cynthia Schwalm president of Eisai Inc., a US-based commercial, marketing and sales operation.

Wyeth announced that Robert Ruffolo plans to step down as head of pharmaceutical research.

MacroGenics has named Dr. Jean-Christophe Tellier as executive vice president and chief commercial officer and James Karrels as vice president and chief financial officer.

Helicos BioSciences has added Stephen P. Hall as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Shengtai Pharmaceutical has appointed Melody Shi as its chief financial officer, effective April 30, 2008. Shi replaces Yizhao Zhang, who resigned effective April 30.

LifeCycle Pharma A/S has named Dr. Karin Hamberg as executive vice president for research and development.

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals has named Nancy Motola, PhD, senior vice president of regulatory affairs.

XenoPort has appointed Vincent J. Angotti as senior vice president and chief commercialization officer.

Pharsight Corporation has named John E. Murphy, DrPH, senior vice president of consulting services.

MedImmune announced the following appointments: Jacqueline Hall has been appointed global vice president, product development team leadership; Lorin Roskos, Ph.D. has been appointed vice president and global head of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and bioanalysis in translational sciences and Beth Wensley has been appointed vice president, project management. In addition, Erik-Jan Dekker, Ph.D. joined the organization as vice president, international regulatory affairs, vaccines and Reginald Seeto, M.D., joins as vice president, global strategic marketing and portfolio management.

Lorus Therapeutics has named Dr. Saeid Babaei vice-president of business development and Dr. Yoon Lee to vice-president of research.

Biomatrica has named Trisha Dowling as vice president of sales and marketing.

Tranzyme Pharma announced that Dr. Philippa Charlton has joined the company as medical director, clinical development, a newly created position.

Protokinetix has named Dr. John S. Parker as chairman of ProtoKinetix' Science Advisory Board.

ImmuneRegen BioSciences has appointed Ivan N. Rich, Ph.D., to its advisory board.

Oncolin Therapeutics announced that Dr Randall K. Johnson has agreed to join the Scientific Advisory Board.

TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals has named Dr. Andrew Pecora, FACP, as chairman of the board.

GTx announced that Kenneth S. Robinson, MD, MDiv, has been appointed to its Board of Directors.

PanGenex Corporation has named Dr. Ronald P. Caputo to its board of directors.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals has appointed Laura Brege to its board of directors.

Cequent Pharmaceuticals has named Michael D. Taylor, Ph.D., to the company's board of directors.

NanoInk named Russel A. Bantham to its board of directors.

Vyteris has named John E. Burrows and Susan P. Guerin to the company's board of directors.

Nventa Biopharmaceuticals has named John Varian to its board of directors.

Valeant chops workforce in restructuring

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

In an effort to bring expenses in line with revenues, Valeant is cutting 130 workers in the U.S. and Mexico. In addition, headcount will be further reduced by 1,250 positions as it divests its European subsidiaries. The full effects of the layoffs will be felt within the next year. The layoffs will reduce Valean's staff by about half.

"This is the first step in our plan to right size our company and return it to appropriate levels of profitability," said J. Michael Pearson, chairman and chief executive officer. "We understand the impact these changes will have on our employees and we are committed to treating everyone with respect and dignity. While difficult, these changes are in the best interest of the company to generate meaningful change that will produce long-term value."

- here's Valeant's release

EUSA Pharma spins off assets as it narrows focus

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

The transatlantic EUSA Pharma has spun off its monoclonal antibody research operation along with a development program for leukemia as it narrows its focus to late-stage drug development and marketing. France's International Drug Development snared the antibody operation while the Alize Pharma Group snagged the recombinant L-asparaginase therapeutic research program for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. EUSA's antibody research business is based in Dardilly, France, and includes a library of approximately 600 murine antibodies.

Bryan Morton, chief executive of EUSA Pharma said: "As we continue to rapidly build our business around our commercial infrastructure in the US and Europe, we are creating the opportunity to compete effectively with major players as an attractive partner for companies seeking specialist transatlantic commercialization and late-stage development expertise in the oncology, pain control and critical care areas."

- read EUSA's release for more information

C&L: Bioxel CEO resigns

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

Bioxel Pharma has announced the resignation of Pascal Delmas as president and CEO. Bioxel also appointed Thomas Warden as vice-president, sales, marketing and regulatory affairs.

Denmark's Lundbeck has appointed Ulf Wiinberg its new chief executive officer.

Alfacell Corp. said its chief executive officer Kuslima Shogen will retire from the company by March 31, 2009.

Noven Pharmaceuticals has named former Pfizer senior executive Peter C. Brandt president and CEO.

Arpida announced that Dr Jürgen Raths will succeed Dr Khalid Islam as chief executive officer.

Cellectricon has named Jonas Ohlsson, the former chief of Mentice AB, as its new CEO.

Harvard Bioscience said Bryce Chicoyne has resigned as its chief financial officer, effective May 9.

Ablynx announced that Dr. Hennie Hoogenboom will be stepping down from his position as chief scientific officer and member of the executive committee.

Hyperion Therapeutics has named Bruce F. Scharschmidt, MD as chief medical officer.

Labopharm has named Claire Brullé, M.D., senior vice-president and chief medical officer.

Transdel Pharmaceuticals has appointed Paul Finnegan to the position of chief medical officer and COO.

Hana Biosciences has appointed Anne Hagey, M.D. as vice president and chief medical officer.

Advaxis has hired Christine Chansky, MD, JD, FCLM, a veteran clinician, pharmaceutical industry medical director and FDA procedural specialist, to serve in the capacity of executive clinical officer.

Neuromed Pharmaceuticals has promoted Sean Cunliffe to chief commercial officer.

BR Pharma has appointed Adele Davis to the new position of head of clinical trials.

Sangamo BioSciences has nominated Thomas Wiggans to the company's board of directors.

Oragenics has named Dr. Marc Siegel and Kevin Sills to the company's board of directors.

Mel Rothberg has resigned from the board of Lotus Pharmaceuticals.

Metabasis Therapeutics has named Dr. Elizabeth Stoner to its board of directors.

Chemaphor announced that Jacques Brault was elected as a new member of Chemaphor's board of directors.

Aegera Therapeutics has named Jeremy Curnock Cook, executive chairman and founder of BioScience Managers Limited, and Gary Littlejohn, managing director of Desjardins Securities, to its board.

Shire said Thursday the dean of Tufts University's medical school, Michael Rosenblatt, has joined its board of directors.

UCB CEO plots strategy following Cimzia approval

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Fresh off the FDA's approval of Cimzia for Crohn's disease, UCB chief executive Roch Doliveux forecast a swift regulatory success in Europe. Cimzia is one of the most closely watched late-stage drugs for arthritis, and Doliveux was clearly buoyed by the 20 percent jump in the value of UCB shares following yesterday's regulatory win. UCB's pegylated anti-TNFa therapy offers a new, easier form of administration than existing arthritis therapies and analysts have been bullish about its market potential.

The CEO also forecast a resolution of its manufacturing problems with Neupro, which was recalled in the U.S. after formulation problems were revealed. Cimzia, Vimpat, Neupro and Rikelta are all expected to add to the company's performance, says Doliveux, after which UCB plans a "breakthrough" phase.

- see UCB release on the approval
- read the AFX report

C&L: Wells named Biovail CEO

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

Biovail has named William Wells, Loblaw Cos. Ltd.'s chief financial officer, as its new chief executive, replacing Douglas Squires, who will become Biovail's chairman.

ARUP Laboratories co-founder Carl R. Kjeldsberg, MD, will retire as chief executive officer at the end of June 2009.

Bioniche Life Sciences announced late last week that its chairman, Hy Isenbaum, has died.

DUSA Pharmaceuticals announced that the role of D. Geoffrey Shulman, MD, chairman of the board and chief strategic officer, is expected to change as a result of a serious health condition.

US Oncology's CFO Rick McCook is resigning to explore opportunities in a retail or manufacturing business.

MannKind Corporation announced that Matthew J. Pfeffer will join the company as corporate vice president and CFO, effective April 21.

Gilead Sciences announced that Robin L. Washington will join the company in May 2008 as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Medicago announced the return of Pierre Labbé as chief financial officer on a full-time basis.

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings says that R. Richard Wieland II, executive vice president and chief financial officer, has resigned to pursue other opportunities.

BioReliance Corporation has named John Ludwig Kolman, PhD, senior director, research and development.

Eisai has named Robert Laverty to the newly created position of vice president of U.S. communications.

Speedel has named Dr. Harald Schafer the new head of corporate communications and investor relations.

Encorium Group announced the resignation of Lawrence R. Hoffman, the company's chief financial officer, effective May 2.

ProGenTech has made several executive management appointments. They are: Dr. Paul Richardson, vice president for R&D; Dr. Jesus Ching, chief scientist; Sarah Wenning, VP of U.S. operations; Dylan Bird, director of business development; David Hu, VP of engineering.

Zogenix has named Cynthia "Candy" Robinson as chief development officer and Mark Thompson as vice president, sales and managed markets.

Addex Pharmaceuticals has named Laurent Massuyeau as head of business development.

Spherix named Randy Brown as chief of operations.

Ovation Pharmaceuticals has named Samuel Yonren, M.D. as vice president, patient safety with responsibility for global drug safety for all Ovation products.

Migenix has appointed Pieter Dorsman to its board of directors.

VIVUS has named Charles J. Casamento to the board of directors.

Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals has named Timothy J. Barberich and George M. Milne, Jr., Ph.D, to the board of directors.

Avexa Ltd has named Nathan Drona a non-executive director of the company.

Introgen Therapeutics has appointed Robert "Bob" Pearson to its board of directors.

Edwards Lifesciences announced that Vernon R. Loucks Jr. is retiring from the company's board of directors.

Oncolin Therapeutics has added Sandra Silberman, M.D., Ph.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Biovail picks Wells as CEO

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Canadian drugmaker Biovail has named a new chief to take the reigns from interim CEO Douglas Squires. William Wells has been appointed Biovail's new CEO, effective May 1, 2008. He's been on the company's board since 2005, and has been lead director since June 2007. The company has been in search of a permanent CEO since last year after Biovail's founder and chief Eugene Melnyk (photo) retired while being investigated for accounting fraud.

"Biovail is a great company with outstanding potential to deliver enhanced value for its shareholders. I look forward to executing the Company's new strategic plan, which is currently being developed by the Board and management," Wells said in a statement. No word yet on when we'll see the details of that plan.

- here's the release
- read the WSJ report

Related Articles:
Melnyk slams Biovail board, calls for change. Melnyk report
Biovail drug launch draws feds' scrutiny. Biovail report
Biovail shares sink after FDA schedules review. Biovail report
FDA hands Biovail a non-approval letter. FDA report
Biovail's Melnyk to step down amid SEC probe. Melnyk report

Wyeth, ViroPharma drops Hep C drug

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

After observing serious safety problems in a Phase II trial, Wyeth and ViroPharma are dropping development of HCV-796. In August the companies halted study of the drug when the data showed elevated liver enzyme levels in some patients after eight weeks or more of therapy with HCV-796. Two study subjects experienced serious adverse events and dropped out of the trial. The decision to abandon HVC-796 wasn't a surprise to Wall Street, and analysts don't anticipate the move will have a big impact on ViroPharma's stock.

"Clearly, this is a disappointing outcome for patients suffering from this difficult disease," commented Vincent Milano, ViroPharma's president and chief executive officer. "Significant activities were undertaken to determine a clear path forward for HCV-796; however, the risk associated with potential hepatotoxicity ultimately posed too high of a hurdle to merit further development."

- check out the release
- read the report for more

Related Articles:
ViroPharma, Wyeth halt HCV study. HVC report
ViroPharma's HCV drug shows promise. ViroPharma report
Wyeth buying ViroPharma shares. Wyeth report

C&L: Chemokine names new CEO

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

With its lead program poised to begin a Phase II study, Chemokine Therapeutics has named Walter Korz as its new president and CEO. Korz succeeds Bashir Jaffer who held the position as CEO on an interim basis since December 2007. Jaffer will continue to serve the company as chief financial officer. Report

Pharmacopeia said president and CEO Leslie Browne has resigned "to pursue other interests." Chairman Joseph Mollica has been appointment interim president and chief executive until a successor is named.

Aeterna Zentaris president and chief executive officer David Mazzo has resigned.

ArQule has appointed Paolo Pucci as chief executive officer and a member of the company's board of directors, effective June 9, 2008. Pucci succeeds Dr. Stephen Hill, who joined Solvay Pharmaceuticals as president and chief executive officer.

OncoVista Innovative Therapies has appointed Wolfram Rodatz as the new chief executive officer of AdnaGen.

Metabolex announced that Donald Hill has joined the company as chief financial officer.

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries announced that Ron Kolker, C.P.A., has been appointed to the position of senior vice president, chief financial officer.

Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings has hired Ivan Gergel, M.D., as executive vice president, research and development.

Galapagos NV named Dr. Piet Wigerinck senior vice president of development.

Adolor Corporation named Eliseo Oreste Salinas, MD, MSc, as senior vice president research and development and chief medical officer.

Amarillo Biosciences announced that Peter Mueller, Ph.D. has been appointed chief operating officer and director of research.

BioSante Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Michael Snabes, M.D., Ph.D. as vice president, clinical development.

Octagon Research Solutions has named John Rogers as director, Process Solutions.

Calibrant Biosystems announced the appointment of Dr. Satya Saxena as its vice-president of research.

Affymax named Carol Francisco, Ph.D. vice president, biostatistics and data management.

VioQuest Pharmaceuticals named Vernon Alvarez, Ph.D., vice president, research and development.

Genelabs Technologies declared on 14 April that Amy Patick PhD has been named by the company as vice president for biological sciences.

ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals has appointed Jose Hechavarria to the new position of vice president of manufacturing.

Geneva Bioinformatics named Mark Pitman sales and business director, North America.

NextGen Bioscience said it appointed William Stimson of Scotland to its International Scientific Advisory Board.

Adnavance Technologies has appointed Kenneth Buechler, Ph.D., to its board of directors.

Tengion has appointed David Holveck to its board of directors.

C&L: Bethune tapped as interim Zila CEO

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:59:52 -0400

Zila Chairman David Bethune is taking on the role of acting CEO. That post has been empty since last June, when Doug Burkett left the job.

Barr Pharmaceuticals announced the following promotions: Christine Mundkur, Esq. has been named CEO of Barr Laboratories; Fred Wilkinson has been named CEO of Duramed Pharmaceuticals; Mike Bogda has been named president and COO, Barr Laboratories; Timothy Sawyer has been named executive vice president, global generic sales and marketing, Barr Laboratories; and Bill McKee, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Barr Pharmaceuticals, will assume expanded responsibilities.

Cytovance has selected Atlanta biotech executive Darren Head as chief executive officer.

ImClone Systems has appointed Kenneth Zuerblis as senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Addex Pharmaceuticals announced that Mark Epping-Jordan, chief scientific officer, has resigned for personal reasons and will leave the company in mid-2008.

Neurobiological Technologies has named Matthew Loar chief financial officer.

NitroMed announced the resignation of James Ham as NitroMed's vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer and secretary.

EKR Therapeutics has made the following additions to its senior management: Ernie Biczak, M.D. as senior vice president of marketing, Dave Iwanicki as senior vice president of commercial operations, and Stephen Hulse, R.Ph. as vice president of sales. Additionally, Tong Zhang, Ph.D. has been promoted to vice president of business development.

Catalent Pharma Solutions has named Matthew Walsh as senior vice president, finance and chief financial officer.

PPD has appointed Mike Wilkinson, Ph.D., as executive vice president of global clinical development.

ExonHit Therapeutics announced that Matthew Pando, Ph.D., and John Jaskowiak joined the management board. Philippe Rousseau was named president of the management board, until a new CEO is appointed.

Agendia BV has named Richard Bender, MD, FACP to the position of vice president and chief medical officer.

Discovery Laboratories has hired John Wilson, as vice president of sales and marketing and John Tattory as vice president of finance.

CardioVascular BioTherapeutics has appointed Nabil Dib, M.D., M.Sc., F.A.C.C., as the principal investigator for its Phase II clinical trial in patients with severe coronary heart disease.

TyRx Pharma has appointed Gary Young as vice president, marketing.

Cerus Corporation has named Carol Moore as vice president, regulatory affairs and quality.

Microbia has named Halley Gilbert to the position of vice president, general counsel.

AutoGenomics has appointed Dr. Laurence Demers, DABCC, FACB and Eric S. Kentor to its board of directors.

AspenBio Pharma has named Dr. Mark Ratain as a new independent member of its board of directors.

Pharmasset has named Herbert Conrad as a member of the board of directors and the nominating and corporate governance committee.

Nastech Pharmaceutical named Gunter Blobel, M.D., Ph.D., to the Scientific Advisory Board of MDRNA, Nastech's wholly-owned subsidiary for the development of RNAi technology and therapeutics.