Pharma POOL

Mark BOOTH
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Names President
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc. (TPNA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd., has restructured its senior executive team and named Mark Booth president. Mr. Booth, an 18year veteran of the healthcare industry, has management respon sibility for all aspects of TPNA’s business, including all commercial and research and development functions. Previously, Mr. Booth served as the company’s executive VP. TPNA’s former president, Saburo Hamana ka, has returned to Takeda Chemical Indus tries Ltd. in Osaka, Japan. Mr. Hamanaka serves as Takeda Pharma ceuticals North America’s chairman. In addi tion, he resumes his previous position as director, department of Americas, in Takeda Chemical Industries’ international division. “It is with great pleasure that I announce Mark Booth’s appointment to president of TPNA,” Mr. Hamanaka says. “Since joining TPNA in October of 2001, Mark has demon strated excellent leadership. Given our rapid growth and emerging pipeline, his extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry will be beneficial to TPNA as we manage the increasing complexity of our business.” Before joining Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Lincolnshire, Ill., Mr. Booth was general manager and senior VP of com mercial operations at Immunex. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Northern Illinois University and his MBA from Northwestern University. Biotech POOL William E. ALISKI John B. EDWARDS William H. PURSLEY TKT Announces Expansion of Management Team Transkaryotic Therapies Inc. has expanded its management team in preparation for the potential approval and launch of Replagal, an enzyme replacement therapy in U.S. develop ment for treating Fabry disease, and other products. William E. Aliski has been promoted to VP of commercial operations, with expanded operational responsibilities, including man agement of international commercial opera tions and partnerships in addition to his responsibilities in the reimbursement area. Mr. Aliski joined TKT in 1999 as VP of health services to develop patient assistance and reimbursement programs and distribu tion capabilities for Replagal. Mr. Aliski received a M.P.A. from Harvard University, and a M.S. in social planning and a B.S. in eco nomics from Boston College. As VP of marketing, John B. Edwards has responsibility for manag ing all aspects of TKT’s marketing activities, including execution of global marketing strate gies and product launch es. Before joining TKT, Mr. Edwards held significant positions within R&D, manufacturing, and marketing during the past 15 years at Wyeth and Genetics Insti tute. He most recently served as assistant VP of global strategic marketing at Wyeth. Mr. Edwards received a MBA from Boston Uni versity and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In addition, TKT also announced that William H. Pursley has resigned as senior VP of commercial operations to become CEO of a privately held biotechnology company. James Z. HUANG Corgentech Names Marketing and Business DevelopmentVP Corgentech Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif. based biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, and commer cialization of a new class of therapeutics called transcription factor decoys that treat human disease by regulating gene expression, has appointed James Z. Huang VP of marketing and business development. Mr. Huang is responsible for all of Corgen tech’s business development and commercial operations, focusing initially on the company’s lead product, E2F Decoy, which is in two Phase III clinical studies for prevention of vein graft failure following coronary and peripheral arterial bypass graft surgery. His responsibili ties include product marketing and planning, corporate development and partnering, and portfolio management. Previously, Mr. Huang served as VP of business development and commercial opera tions at Tularik where he led the development and negotiation of commercial and scientific collaborations, alliances, and licensing agree ments. Mr. Huang received a MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the Univer sity of California, Berkeley. Dr. Geoffrey M.NICHOL Medarex Appoints Senior VP, Product Development Geoffrey M. Nichol, M.D., has been named senior VP of product development at Medarex Inc., a Princeton, N.J.based biopharmaceuti cal company focused on the discovery and development of therapeutics to treat life threatening and debilitating diseases. In this position Dr. Nichol has broad responsibility for the development of Medarex’s product portfolio, including clinical development, reg ulatory affairs, project management, and pre clinical development. Most recently, Dr. Nichol held the posi tions of head of global medical marketing excellence, and head of global project manage ment at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., TALENT POOL EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY TALENT pool where he focused on product development and management as well as medical marketing. Dr. Nichol received his medical degree from Otago University Medical School in New Zealand, and practiced pulmonary/inter nal medicine in New Zealand, Australia, and at the Brompton Hospital and National Heart and Lung Institute in London. He also received a MBA degree with distinction from Warwick University in the U.K. David W.ROBINSON GenVec Creates VP, Marketing and Sales, Position GenVec Inc., a biopharmaceutical company develop ing genebased medicines, has appointed David W. Robinson as VP of marketing and sales. In the newly created position, Mr. Robinson is charged with directing all marketing and future sales efforts for GenVec’s genebased product candidates, TNFer ade, BioBypass, and AdPEDF. With 16 years experience in various management positions at GlaxoSmith Kline, Mr. Robinson brings to GenVec key marketing, sales, and product launch experience in the fields of gas troenterology, HIV, and cancer. Most recently, Mr. Robinson held the position of VP of oncology sales. Drug Delivery POOL James D. PETRILLA Biovail Selects VP and General Manager James D. Petrilla has been appointed to the position of VP and general man ager at Biovail Pharmaceuticals Inc., a division of Biovail Corp., a pharmaceu tical company engaged in the formula tion, clinical testing, registration, man ufacture, sales, and promotion of pharmaceutical products using advanced drugdelivery technologies. In this role, Mr. Petrilla is responsible for the performance of the U.S. business of Biovail Pharmaceuticals, Morrisville, N.C., and for leading its more than 700 employees engaged in sales, marketing, finance, corporate accounts, human resources, medical affairs, and information technology. Mr. Petrilla comes to Biovail Pharmaceuti cals from BristolMyers Squibb where he held increasingly senior roles, both domestic and international, including VP, global brand champion, and chairman of the full develop ment team, where he led a worldwide, multi disciplinary team responsible for latestage research, development, and commercialization of a new drug for HIV. He also held positions as VP of national managedcare accounts and VP of a European business unit. He began his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Merck where he gained experience in sales and mar keting management, pricing, strategy, and business analysis. Mr. Petrilla graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor of science degree in mathematicsoperations analysis. He also holds a MBA and an advanced certificate in personnel administration and industrial rela PharmaVOICE Dr. Mark B. MCCLELLAN The Food and Drug Administration’s long tenure without a commissioner has come to an end. The Senate confirmed President George W. Bush’s nomination of Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., as commissioner of the FDA. Dr. McClel lan is a member of the President’s Council on Eco nomic Advisors, and serves as a senior policy direc tor for healthcare and related economic issues for the White House. The position previously was held by Jane Henney, who resigned in January 2001. “As a doctor and researcher, Mark McClellan is uniquely qualified to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration,” President Bush says. “His experience will be very valuable as the FDA faces new challenges in the coming year, including the implementation of legislation I recently signed to help protect the nation from bioterrorism threats, to help speed access to break through medical treatments, and to make medical treatments safer. As head of the FDA, Mark will focus on empowering consumers and ensuring rapid access to products that are safe and effective.” Dr. McClellan was confirmed as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers by the Senate July 19, 2001. Before joining the CEA, he was associate professor of economics at Stanford Uni versity, associate professor of medicine at Stanford Medical School, a practicing internist, and director of the program on health outcomes research at Stanford University. He also was a research associ ate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Additionally, he was a member of the National Cancer Policy Board of the National Academy of Sciences, associate editor of the Journal of Health Economics, and coprincipal investigator of the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal study of the health and economic wellbeing of older Americans. From 1998 to 1999, he was deputy assistant secretary of the treasury for eco nomic policy, where he supervised economic anal ysis and policy development on a wide range of domestic policy issues. His research studies have addressed measur ing and improving the quality of healthcare, the economic and poli cy factors influencing medical treatment deci sions, technological change in healthcare and its consequences for health and medical expenditures, insur ance, and the relation ship between health and economic well being. He has twice received the Arrow Award for Outstanding Research in Health Economics. He earned his M.D. degree from the HarvardMIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and his Ph.D. in economics from MIT. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and he is boardcertified in internal medicine. Industry leaders have applauded the choice and confirmation of Dr. McClellan. “We offer our congratulations to Dr. McClellan on his appointment to lead the FDA, which is, without any doubt, the single most important federal agency to our indus try,” says Carl B. Feldbaum, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. “He appears exceptionally wellqualified to lead the agency and tackle issues related to the recently enacted Prescription Drug User Fee Act, food labeling, and the judicious reorganization of the biologics approval process. BIO pledges to assist Dr. McClellan and the agency in any way we can be helpful. “We also thank President Bush for his thoughtful care in nominating such a qualified candidate,” Mr. Feldbaum says. “Further appreciation is in order for Senators Ted Kennedy (DMass.) and Judd Gregg (R N.H.) for completing this appointment in the Senate prior to congressional adjournment.” NEW FDA COMMISSIONERTOTAKE HELM Dr. Mark McClellan has been named to the position of commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. TALENT pool tions from S. New Hampshire University, as well as a certificate of professional develop ment from the Wharton School at the Univer sity of Pennsylvania. Specialty POOL Edwin DIAZ Alan GOLDSTEIN Bradley Pharmaceuticals Adds Two Executives To Senior Management Bradley Pharmaceuticals Inc. has added two new members to its senior management team. Edwin Diaz, CPA, has joined the company as VP of operations and Alan Goldstein as direc tor of corporate development. Bradley Pharma ceuticals, Fairfield, N.J., primarily markets prescription niche category therapies to target ed, highprescribing physicians. Before joining Bradley, Mr. Diaz held the position of VP of finance and chief financial officer of Mova Laboratories. Previously, Mr. Diaz served as VP and chief financial officer of Enamelon Inc. Before joining Enamelon, Mr. Diaz served as controller of Nycor Inc. and Lancer Industries Inc. Mr. Goldstein, a graduate of the Universi ty of Michigan and the University of Pitts burgh School of Law, has an extensive back ground in securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as public and private equity and debt offerings. Mr. Goldstein has spent more than 15 years at several prominent New York law firms, advising clients on busi ness issues, including corporate and securities transactions, and negotiating and implement ing mergers and acquisitions. John E. LUCAS RxKinetix Names President and CEO John E. Lucas has joined RxKinetix Inc. as president and CEO, strengthening the compa ny’s management, business development, and financing capabilities. RxKinetix, Louisville, Colo., is a productfocused specialty pharma ceutical company engaged in the research and development of novel pharmaceutical formu lations. Mr. Lucas, who has held management posi tions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries since 1964, most recently served as chairman and CEO at EpiCept Corp., a com pany with facilities in New Jersey and Ger many that is developing proprietary topical pain control products. He also has served as CEO of Oxford Laboratories, MAST Immunosystems, and Oxigene Inc. and found ed or cofounded three businesses, including Xoma Corp. Mr. Lucas received his B.S. degree from Northwestern University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Dr. Edward M.MORRIS aaiPharma Appoints Executive VP, Clinical Trials Division Edward M. Morris, Pharm.D., has been appointed executive VP of aaiPharma Inc., the clinical trials division of AAI International. Dr. Morris succeeds division founder Richard Parker, who will be retiring at the end of the year. Mr. Parker was the founder of MTRA, a clinical research company acquired by aaiPharma in March 1999, and will assist in the transition of duties to Dr. Morris. In his new role, Dr. Morris is responsible for the design, development, and management of Phase II to Phase IV clinical trials for AAI International, Wilmington, N.C. The clinical trials division of AAI International is located in Natick, Mass. Most recently, Dr. Morris served as an inde pendent consultant to the pharmaceutical and contract research organization industries, pro viding technical, administrative, and opera tional insight into clinicalresearch programs. He was instrumental in identifying, review ing, and selecting potential compounds for the research and development pipeline for both ethical and biotech companies. Previously, he was executive director of clinical research for Covance Inc. Dr. Morris received a M.S. in physiology from Fordham University, a M.S. in pharma cology from St. John’s University, and both a B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences and Pharm.D. from Brooklyn College of Pharmacy. He is a member of several professional associations, including the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Arthur S. PRZYBYL Akorn Appoints President and Chief Operating Officer Akorn Inc. has named Arthur S. Przybyl president and chief operating officer. In this position, Mr. Przybyl is responsible for opera tions, research and development, quality assurance, new business development, and developing and implementing sales and mar keting strategies. Akorn, Buffalo Grove, Ill., manufactures and markets sterile specialty pharmaceuticals, and markets and distributes an extensive line of pharmaceuticals and oph thalmic surgical supplies and related products. Mr. Przybyl joined the company in August 2002, as senior VP of sales and marketing. He helped focus Akorn’s ophthalmic products strategy and reorganize the sales and market ing teams to ensure full success of current and anticipated product launches. efore joining Akorn, Mr. Przybyl served as president and CEO for Hearing Innovations Inc., a startup developer of medical devices for the profound ly deaf and tinnitus markets. Before this, he served as president and chief operating officer for Bioject Inc., a company specializing in nee dlefree technology. Mr. Przybyl also helped engineer a successful turnaround at Interna tional Medication Systems Ltd. as senior VP of sales and marketing for the generic pharma ceutical manufacturer. Device/Diagnostics POOL Thomas C. WILDER III MedicalDevice Veteran Takes Helm at Micro Therapeutics Thomas C. Wilder III has been appointed president and CEO of Micro Therapeutics Inc., a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of minimally invasive medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease. James M. Corbett remains as chairman of the Irvine, Calif.based company. Mr. Wilder, 38, is a veteran of the medical device industry having spent the past 11 years at Medtronic Inc. Most recently, he served as VP and general manager of its endovascular stent grafts division. Mr. Wilder earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University and a master’s degree in management from North western University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Discovery POOL Dr. Errol de SOUZA Synaptic Appoints President and CEO Errol de Souza, Ph.D., has been appointed president and CEO of Synaptic Pharmaceuti PharmaVOICE TALENT pool cal Corp. and joins the board of directors. He succeeds Kathleen P. Mullinix, Ph.D., who has resigned from her roles as president, CEO, and director. Synaptic Pharmaceuticals is a drugdiscovery and development company based in Paramus, N.J. Before joining Synaptic, Dr. de Souza held senior management roles with Aventis, and its predecessor company Hoechst Marion Roussel Pharmaceuticals Inc. Most recently, Dr. de Souza was senior VP and site head of U.S. drug innovation and approval at Aventis, where he was responsible for the discovery and development of drug candidates through Phase IIa clinical trials for central nervous system and inflammatory dis orders. Before joining Aventis, Dr. de Souza was cofounder, executive VP of research and development, and director of Neurocrine Bio sciences Inc. In addition, he has served as head of CNS diseases research at DuPont Merck Pharma ceutical Co. and has held faculty appointments at various institutions, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Johns Hopkins Uni versity School of Medicine, the Univer sity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the University of California, San Diego. He is an adjunct professor at the Cen ter for Molecular and Behavioral Neuro science at Rutgers University. Dr. de Souza has served on multiple editorial boards and National Institutes of Health committees as well as on the board of several companies. Paul R. HAMELIN Elitra Pharmaceuticals Names President and Chief Operating Officer Elitra Pharmaceuticals Inc., San Diego, has named Paul R. Hamelin as president and chief operating officer. Mr. Hamelin brings more than 25 years of pharmaceutical experience to the com pany, which specializes in antimicrobial drug discovery and focuses on the dis covery, development, and commercial ization of novel antimicrobial com pounds that target essential gene products of pathogenic organisms. Mr. Hamelin previously held senior management positions with Pharma cia/Searle, Abbott Laboratories, Eli Lilly & Co., and, most recently, Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Hamelin’s responsibilities have included several global product launch es, including Celebrex while at Pharma cia, and Biaxin while at Abbott Labora tories. Genomics POOL Dr.Timothy SHANNON Former Bayer Executive to Lead CuraGen’s Drug Development Efforts CuraGen Corp., an integrated, genomics based pharmaceutical company based in New Haven, Conn., has appointed Timothy Shan non, M.D., as senior VP of research and develop ment and chief medical officer. Previously, Dr. Shannon was senior VP of global medical development at Bayer. Most recently, he held global responsibility for all strategic and operational aspects of clinical development, drug safety, and pharmacovigi lance, while managing 10 VPs who oversaw operations in four countries and 1,000 people worldwide. Dr. Shannon earned his B.A., magna cum laude, in chemistry from Amherst College and his M.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and was an assistant pro fessor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Emerging POOL Steven CHANG Immunetrics Names CEO Immunetrics Inc., an emerging biotech company, has appointed Steven Chang as CEO. Based in Pittsburgh, the company has developed in silico simulation technology that will capture, for the first time, the complexity PharmaVOICE Dr. Sydney BRENNER Dr. H. Robert HORVITZ Dr. John E. SULSTON Dr. Kurt WUTHRICH Scientists from the healthcare industry, includ ing Lynx Therapeutics Inc. and Triad Therapeu tics, have been recognized for their work in physi ology and chemistry by the Nobel committee. Lynx Therapeutics, Hayward, Calif., is a leader in the development and application of novel tech nologies for the discovery of gene expression pat terns important to the pharmaceutical, biotechnol ogy, and agricultural industries. Triad Therapeutics, San Diego, integrates structural biology and medicinal chemistry to accelerate dis covery and development of potent, smallmolecule drugs. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2002 was awarded jointly to Lynx Therapeu tics’ director and principal scientific advisor, Syd ney Brenner, M.B., D.Phil., along with H. Robert Horvitz, Ph.D., and John E. Sulston, Ph.D., for their discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and pro grammed cell death. Dr. Brenner’s pioneering work on Caenorhabdi tis elegans established it as a novel experimental model organism. His work with this organism provided a unique opportunity to link genetic analysis to cell division, differentiation, and organ development, and to observe these processes under a microscope. The Nobel Prize for Chem istry was awarded to Kurt Wuthrich, a member of Triad’s scientific advisory board. Dr. Wuthrich, Ph.D., is a professor at the ETH, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and is the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Visiting Professor at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. The award was given to Dr. Wuthrich for his development of nuclear magnetic reso nance spectroscopy for determining the three dimensional structure of biological macro molecules in solution. Dr. Wuthrich is a world expert in the appli cation of nuclear magnetic resonance for eluci dating the threedimensional structure of pro teins and other macromolecules. His laboratories in Zurich and in the U.S. contin ue to develop technology for expanding the molecular weight range of supramolecular structures that can be studied in solution by nuclear magnetic resonance. He has published three monographs and more than 600 original papers and reviews. NOBEL PRIZES AWARDEDTO INDUSTRY SCIENTISTS Dr. Brenner’s pioneering work on Caenorhabditis elegans established it as a novel experimental model organism. Service POOL Dr. Stephen P. ADAMS Ronald E. BRANDT Detlef RETHAGE Stanley G. SHOTLIFF Ricerca Biosciences Expands Management Team Ricerca Biosciences, a worldwide drug development partner to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and a premier provider of contract services, has expanded its management team, filling the position of chief financial officer and creating the positions of VP of drug development biology, executive VP of operations, and executive VP of market ing and sales. Stephen P. Adams, Ph.D., joins Concord, Ohiobased Ricerca as VP of drug develop ment biology, and brings to Ricerca more than 15 years of experience in preclinical drug development, with emphasis in toxicology, genetic toxicology, and drug metabolism. Most recently, Dr. Adams served as principal research scientist and therapeutic area head for infectious disease, safety assessment at DuPont Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Adams received a B.S. in medicinal chemistry from the State Universi ty of New York at Buffalo, School of Pharma cy and a M.S. and Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry. Ronald E. Brandt has been named to the newly created position of executive VP of marketing and sales. Mr. Brandt has more than 20 years experi ence in business development and sales in the pharmaceutical industry. “We are delighted to have Ron join our management team,” says Prabhavathi Fernan des, Ph.D., Ricerca’s CEO. “Ron’s impressive background includes extensive handson senior management involvement in sales and business development in the pharmaceutical industry. His appointment completes the building of our management team and we look to leveraging his expertise to help Ricerca market both its contract and partnered drugdevelopment busi ness.” Before joining Ricerca, Mr. Brandt held senior level positions at International Specialty Products, including executive, sales and business development and senior VP of sales — Americ as. Before ISP, Mr. Brandt held senior level posi tions at Lonza Inc., including senior VP and senior operating officer. Mr. Brandt received a MBA from Rutgers University and a B.E. in chemical engineering from The Cooper Union. Detlef Rethage joins Ricerca as executive VP of operations. Mr. Rethage brings to TALENT pool of the inflammatory disease response in humans. Before Immunetrics, Mr. Chang served as founding CEO of Futuristics Labs Inc., where he raised two rounds of financing totaling more than $10 million during a threeyear period. Previously, Mr. Chang headed the Intelli gent Software Systems group at Westing house/CBS Corp.’s Science & Technology Cen ter in Pittsburgh. Mr. Chang received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he is the twotime recipient of the “George Westinghouse Signature Award for Excellence.” Dennis B. FARRAR Thomas B. KING President,CEO,Director, and Chairman Positions Filled at Cognetix Cognetix Inc. has appointed Thomas B. King as president, CEO, and director. Cognetix is a privately held biopharmaceutical company located in Salt Lake City that devel ops small peptide therapeutics from the ven oms of Conus marine snails. Mr. King, a 25year industry veteran, pre viously was president, CEO, and director of Anesta Corp., before its acquisition by Cephalon Inc. While at Anesta, Mr. King built the company from 40 to more than 100 employees and led two large public stock offerings. He successfully negotiated the reac quisition from Abbott Laboratories of oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate, Actiq, and relaunched the product into the U.S. market. He led the company in establishing develop ment, licensing, and distribution agreements with Elan, Novartis, Swedish Orphan, L. Lafon, and Grupo Ferrer. Mr. King replaces Brian R. Anderson, who resigned in May 2002. In addition, Cognetix has appointed Den nis B. Farrar as chairman of the board, replac ing Davis L. Temple Jr., Ph.D., who resigned in May 2002. Dr. J. Wallace PARCE Nanosys Selects Chief Technology Officer and VP of Research J. Wallace Parce, Ph.D., has joined Nanosys Inc. as chief technology officer and VP of research. Nanosys is a newly formed company focused on the development of nan otechnologyenabled systems. Before joining Palo Alto, Calif.based Nanosys, Dr. Parce was cofounder and VP of research at Caliper Technologies Corp., where he spearheaded the development and launch of the world’s first commercial microfluidic based LabonaChip products based on lead ing edge technologies from such institutions as Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Oakridge National Laboratories. Before Caliper, Dr. Parce was founder and VP of research for Molecular Devices Corp. where he led a team that commercialized the first biosensors from technology developed at Stanford University. Dr. Parce received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Wake Forest University and his B.A. from Western Maryland College. In addition, Dr. Parce completed postdoctoral research in physical chemistry at Stanford University. Dr. Joseph J. VILLAFRANCA Neose Appoints Former BMS Executive to Senior VP, Pharmaceutical Development Neose Technologies Inc. has appointed Joseph J. Villafranca, Ph.D., to the position of senior VP of pharmaceutical development and operations. Neose, Horsham, Pa., develops proprietary technologies using enzymes to manufacture complex carbohydrates. Dr. Villafranca has responsibility for product development, including proprietary drug candidates and GlycoAdvance reagents. Dr. Villafranca joins Neose from Bristol Myers Squibb where he was VP of biologics strategy and biopharmaceuticals operations, responsible for management of biopharmaceu tical drug candidates from discovery through Phase II. He also cochaired the Biologics Strategy Committee at BristolMyers Squibb, which was charged with identifying opportunities for entry into the biologics market. Dr. Villafranca earned a B.S. in chemistry from the State University of New York and a Ph.D. in biochemistry/chemistry from Purdue University. He completed his postdoctoral training in biophysics at the Institute for Can cer Research in Philadelphia. PharmaVOICE TALENT pool Ricerca more than 13 years of experience in fine chemicals. Most recently, Mr. Rethage held senior level positions at Degussa, includ ing VP and general manager of fine chemicals operations, VP of strategic projects fine chem icals, and with the subsidiary Creanova Inc., general manager of fine chemicals. Mr. Rethage received a German equivalent mas ter’s degree in civil engineering from the Uni versity of Essen and a German equivalent mas ter’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Bochum. Stanley G. Shotliff, CPA, joins the compa ny as chief financial officer. Mr. Shotliff brings to Ricerca more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical financial business. Most recently, he served as chief financial and administrative officer and board director of Integrated Genomics Inc., where he directed a series of changes to help the company move from a contract service business to a biophar maceutical company. Mr. Shotliff received a B.S. in accounting from the University of Illi nois and his CPA in Illinois, and was a senior auditor for KPMG. Patricia BARRING LifeScience Consultancy Names VP of Sales for North America Taratec, a lifescience consultancy that provides integrated business, infor mation technology, and regulatory compliance services, has promoted Patricia Barring to VP of sales for North America. Ms. Barring has 18 years of handson and managerial sales experi ence at IT consulting and software organiza tions. Since joining Bridgewater, N.J.based Taratec in February 2002 as VP of sales for the northeast region, she has increased gross sales by 35%. Before joining Taratec, Ms. Barring held positions of increasing responsibility dur ing nine years at Computer Horizons Corp. Tony CAVALIERE MDS Pharma Services NamesVP, Global Data, in Clinical Research Area MDS Pharma Ser vices, a provider of inno vative drugdiscovery and development solutions, has appointed Tony Cava liere to VP of the global data division, global clin ical research. Mr. Cava liere is charged with over seeing the data management and biostatistical operations at the King of Prussia, Pa.based company. Mr. Cavaliere previously spent 15 years with GlaxoSmithKline, most recently as senior director of clinicaldata management. He has a strong technical and systems back ground, including remote data entry systems, and has had experience in all phases of the drugdevelopment cycle across therapeutic areas. John MONAHAN Dr. Jon SEYMOUR Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science Announces Executive Appointments Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science has named John Monahan president and CEO of the pharmaceutical division, and Jon Seymour, M.D., president and CEO of the clinical tools division. Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science, Chicago, is a unit of Wolters Kluwer NV, Amsterdam, which is comprised of a number of health and medical information, software, and service companies. As president and CEO of the pharmaceutical division, Mr. Monahan is charged with managing WKIHS’s existing pharmaceutical business, including a unit of medical publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins that sells journal reprints and other marketing services to pharmaceutical cus tomers, and Adis International, a strategic communications and clinical publication busi ness. He also is responsible for pursuing new opportunities for Wolters Kluwer to expand its business in the pharmaceutical market. Mr. Monahan joins WKIHS after serving as president and CEO of IC Axon Inc., a phar maceutical elearning and marketing services company. His previous experience includes president of Innovex Inc., a pharmaceutical sales and marketing business. He holds a B.S. in marketing from Quinnipiac College, Ham den, Conn. As president and CEO of the clinical tools division, Dr. Seymour manages a number of current WKIHS businesses focused on elec tronic drug databases and clinical workflow tools, including Facts & Comparisons, Medi Span, and ClineAnswers. He also is charged with developing new products and work to expand WKIHS’s role in the pointofcare information market. Dr. Seymour was the co founder and chief executive of Gold Standard Multimedia, a leading provider of electronic drug information to hospitals and community pharmacies. He also created and marketed Integrated Medical Curriculum, a suite of electronic textbooks and course materials for medical and allied health students. He is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Medicine and Duke University. Suppliers POOL Steven BLOOM Inflexxion Expands Management Team Inflexxion Inc., an interactive health com munications company, has appointed Steven Bloom VP of business development, pharma ceutical/biotechnology. In this newly created posi tion, Mr. Bloom’s respon sibilities include expanding Inflexxion’s offer ing of technologybased solutions to customers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, managed care, and public arenas. Inflexxion, Newton, Mass., develops and tests programs that focus on impaired driving education, alcohol and tobacco prevention and cessation, cancer education and support for families, and substance abuse screening and treatments. Mr. Bloom brings 19 years of marketing and sales management experience to Inflexxion. Most recently he was the national manager for the behavioral healthcare business unit at Eli Lilly & Co. Before his tenure at Lilly, he held several management positions in marketing sales and public affairs. Mr. Bloom is a graduate of the pharmacy program at Northeastern University. Gary HAGESTAD M2 Communications Creates Group Project Director Position Gary Hagestad has been named group project director at M2 Commu nications, a supplier of medical education and promotional programs for the healthcare industry. In his new position, Mr. Hagestad is charged with leading the project management group, sup porting business development efforts, and overseeing the quality and distribution of all deliverables. Before joining M2 Communications, Jersey City, N.J., Mr. Hagestad was senior account manager at SimStar Internet Solutions, where he was responsible for managing business PharmaVOICE TALENT pool development, project development, and client relations for one of the company’s major accounts. Mr. Hagestad holds a B.A. in mass communications from Lycoming College. Gary JOHNSON WRB Communications Hires New Director of Business Development WRB Communications, Chantilly, Va., which specializes in customized health infor mation programs for consumers and health care professionals, has named Gary Johnson as director of business development. Mr. Johnson’s responsibilities include expanding WRB’s market presence and developing new programs and partnerships. Mr. Johnson has 15 years of pharmaceuti cal industry experience, principally focused on sales and sales management. Most recently he served as national sales manager for Der went Information, part of the Thomson Corp., a scientific information supplier. Mr. Johnson holds a B.S. in geology from Southern Methodist University, and a MBA in marketing from The George Washington University. Mark E. ROSENBAUM Frederic J. HUSER Cardinal Health Creates New Positions As Part of Internal Realignment Cardinal Health Inc., a provider of prod ucts and services supporting the healthcare industry, has promoted Mark E. Rosenbaum to the new position of executive VP of corpo rate sales and marketing. The creation of this new executivelevel position consolidates three previously distinct sales functions spanning more than $20 billion in annual revenue on the provider side of the company’s business. The Dublin, Ohiobased company is com bining all providerrelated sales and marketing functions to better leverage its teamwork, inte gration, and crossselling capabilities for its cus tomer base of more than 3,000 healthcare providers. Mr. Rosenbaum previously served as exec utive VP of HealthSystems since 1998, focus ing on Cardinal Health’s pharmaceutical dis tribution business. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee. Frederic J. Huser has joined the company as executive VP of commercial operations for Cardinal’s Pharmaceutical Technologies and Services division. For the past two years, Mr. Huser served as chairman, CEO, and co founder of Optescrip. Robert K. WEILER Pharmaceutical Software Company Hires Enterprise Software Executive Robert K. Weiler has been appointed president and CEO of Phase For ward Inc., a provider of clinical and safety data management solutions for drug development. Mr. Weiler succeeds Paul Ble icher, M.D., Ph.D., the founder and chairman of Phase Forward, Waltham, Mass., who has been serving in this role on an interim basis since early 2002. Mr. Weiler’s experience in the technology industry spans more than 26 years. Most recently, he served as chairman, president, and CEO of Giga Information Group. Before join ing Giga, he was president and CEO of East man Software (formerly Wang Software). Mr. Weiler also served as senior VP, worldwide sales and marketing, for Lotus Development Corp., where he was instrumental in the expan sion of the company’s Lotus Notes business. Dr. Bleicher, who continues as chairman and an active member of the senior manage ment team, is turning the daytoday opera tions of the company over to Mr. Weiler to focus on strategy and industry relations. Barry ZIMMERMAN NOPWorld Health Appoints Executive VP, Strategic Account Development NOP World Health, a supplier of primary research to the global healthcare industry, has appointed Barry Zimmer man to the new position of executive VP of strate gic account development. He is charged with bring ing the full line of NOP World research, con sulting, and information services to executives at pharmaceutical companies, as well as pro viding integrated, endtoend business solu tions, built from the combined capabilities of NOPWorld’s global market research network. Before joining NOP World, East Hanover, N.J., he was senior VP of global account development at Quintiles. He joined the Quintiles organization through Innovex, where he was senior VP of business develop ment and marketing. Before Quintiles, Mr. Zimmerman spent 18 years at IMS Health, where he ultimately rose from marketing con sultant to VP of business development and global account management. Media POOL Rick NOBLE Thomson Names President and CEO of Thomson Healthcare The Thomson Corp. has named Rick Noble president and CEO of Thomson Healthcare, a provider of drug, clinical pointofcare solutions, and continuing medical education services to physicians and other healthcare professionals. In his new role, Mr. Noble assumes respon sibility for overseeing the following businesses comprising Stamford, Conn.based Thomson Healthcare: American Health Consultants, a medical newsletter publisher; Medical Eco nomics, publisher of the Physicians’ Desk Ref erence and several medical magazines such as Medical Economics, Drug Topics, and RN; Micromedex, publisher of drug and disease databases used in hospitals and poison centers; Physicians World and Gardiner Caldwell, providers of continuing medical education based in the U.S. and U.K. respectively; Medec Dental Communications; and Veteri nary Healthcare Communications. Mr. Noble is responsible for continuing the solid growth and new product development within the healthcare group, with a focus on the areas of clinical information, continuing medi cal education, and clinical trials. Mr. Noble joined Thomson in 1997 and most recently served as the chief operating offi cer for Thomson Healthcare and CEO for Micromedex. Agency POOL Ryad ALI Cheryl DOTO Debra HIRSCHHORN Lisa MORRIS CommonHealth Companies Announce Appointments Two appointments have been announced at Health Learning Systems, a medicaleduca PharmaVOICE TALENT pool tion company and division of Common Health, Parsippany, N.J., a healthcarecom munications network and a WPP Group company. Ryad Ali has joined Health Learning Sys tems as director of multimedia services. Mr. Ali is responsible for conceptualizing, direct ing, and overseeing activities related to the development and production of multimedia programs, including videotapes, audiotapes, CDROMs, symposia, video satellite confer ences, Internetbased learning, Websites, and animation. Mr. Ali previously was the manag er of multimedia development and education at Amadeus Multimedia Technologies. Cheryl Doto has returned to Common Health as an associate program director for Health Learning Systems. Her duties include supporting seniorlevel program directors in the implementation of program elements and assisting her teams in achieving program goals. In addition, Ms. Doto’s responsibilities include content development, faculty recruitment, budget monitoring, and prob lem solving. Most recently, Ms. Doto was a production coordinator for Tempus LLC, a design and communications firm. She also briefly tenured at Thomas Fergu son Associates, CommonHealth’s professional advertising and promotion division, as an assistant business manager working in pro duction. Thomas Ferguson Associates, Parsippany, N.J., CommonHealth’s founding advertising agency and a pioneer in the pharmaceutical and healthcareadvertising industry, has announced two promotions. Debra Hirschhorn has been promoted to VP and group copy supervisor from group copy supervi sor. Her responsibilities include all copy direction on assigned accounts in addition to the supervi sion of several copywriters working on those client brands. She continues to be strategical ly involved with new business pitches at Thomas Ferguson Associates. In other agency news, Lisa Morris has been pro moted to account supervi sor from senior account executive. As account supervisor, Ms. Morris’ duties include assisting in strategic development, tactical planning, supervising daytoday pro cesses to ensure all client needs are met, and overseeing the management of client brand budgets. Barbara BECKER Kate CARTER Joann DUMA Nancy HITCHNER John KIM Dr.Thomas LECHNER Michelle MAYS Kim PEPITONE Marcie RUBIN Jennifer TONELLI ProHealth Announces Addition of New Staff ProHealth, the medi cal education and special projects division of FCB HealthCare, a fullservice healthcare agency, has expanded its staff. Kim Pepitone has joined ProHealth as senior VP and managing director. Previously she had been senior VP of operations at Advanced, a healthcare market devel opment company. Thomas Lechner, Ph.D., has returned to ProHealth as senior scien tific director following a position at Colwood Healthworld. During his tenure at ProHealth, Dr. Lechner held the posi tions of medical writer and scientific director. He earned his postdoctoral degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Penn State Universi ty, Howard Hughes Med ical Institute. Barbara Becker has joined ProHealth as VP and director of account management. Ms. Becker’s promotional background includes former positions at Sudler &Hennessey and Robert A. Becker and extensive medical educa tion work at Health Sci ence Communications. Also new to ProHealth is John Kim, who holds the position of senior account executive. Before joining ProHealth, Mr. Kim managed accounts and new business for the medical marketing and communications division of Quintiles Transnational. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kim spent several years at the National Cancer Insti tute focusing on product development for AIDS vaccine research. Nancy Hitchner has been named senior medical editor/writer; Kate Carter, senior account executive; Michelle Mays, account executive; Jennifer Tonelli and Joann Duma, account coordinators; and Marcie Rubin, coordinator of scientific services. Tami BLOOM Sally BALLENBERG Joe VITALE Ribotsky Announces New Hires Ribotsky Worldwide Inc., a fullservice healthcare communications company located in Somerset, N.J., has added a copy supervisor, an editor, and a senior account executive to its staff. Sally Ballenberg has been hired as editor. She was a copy editor at HealthAnswers Inc., senior budget analyst at Merrill Lynch, and associate editor at the Amer can College of Physicians. Tami Bloom has been hired as senior account executive. She was an account executive at Evo lution Health Initiatives, and project coordina tor at The Sawtooth Group. Joe Vitale has been hired as copy supervisor. Previously, he served as group copy supervisor at 30 West Advertising; copy supervisor at Barton & Pittinos, and senior copywriter at Ketchum Advertising. Lydell CAPRITTA Bill O’DONNELL John RACIK Chrystie REEP Dr. Richard V. WEISS inChord Communications Announces Hires inChord Communications Inc., one of the largest independent marketing communica tions organizations in the world, has promot ed Bill O’Donnell to chief administrative offi PharmaVOICE TALENT pool cer. In addition to the responsibilities of his new role, he continues his cur rent duties as executive VP and chief financial officer. Mr. O’Donnell over sees all inChord’s support and administrative func tions, including accounting, finance, facilities, information technology, and human resources. He is responsible for ensuring that all of these functions work together to provide optimal support for inChord’s seven companies. Before joining inChord, Columbus, Ohio, in 2001, Mr. O’Donnell was chief financial officer for Bank One’s Retail Customer and Channel Group. In this role, he led a team of finance and accounting professionals to pro vide decision support, financial reporting and analysis, financial control, and strategic and capital planning for a business unit manage ment team. Mr. O’Donnell holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Miami Universi ty, Ohio, and a MBA from the University of Dayton. He also completed the executive development program at Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. Chrystie Reep has been named media plan ner at the company. She is responsible for plan ning, placement, research, and coordination of media for a number of inChord’s pharmaceuti cal clients. Before joining inChord, Ms. Reep was a media account manager for Lord, Sulli van & Yoder. Ms. Reep holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism/advertising management from Ohio University. In other company news, Gerbig, Snell/Weisheimer, inChord’s independent advertising agency, based in Columbus, Ohio, has named Lydell Capritta executive VP of direct marketing. Mr. Capritta, who has more than 22 years of experience in the field, is charged with expanding GSW’s capability to provide direct and relationship marketing ser vices to clients. Mr. Capritta was formerly the president and CEO of Blue Diesel, a sister company to GSW that provides interactive marketing. Previously, he served as president of HMS Direct, a division of HMS Partners. He also served as the senior VP of Brann Worldwide, where he managed teams of account services, creative, media, and production. Mr. Capritta’s direct marketing team already serves a num ber of the agency’s clients including Eli Lilly & Co., AstraZeneca, and Genentech. In addition, Blue Diesel, one of the nation’s top 50 interactive agencies, has named John Racik president and CEO. Mr. Racik joins Blue Diesel from Sentrix Global Health Com munications, a Young & Rubicam healthcare communications network, where he served as U.S. general manager. At Blue Diesel, Mr. Racik is responsible for all elements of Blue Diesel’s business includ ing operations, strategic direction, and sales and marketing. He reports to Blane Walter, chairman and CEO of inChord Communications Inc., Blue Diesel’s parent com pany. Mr. Racik opened Sen trix’s U.S. office and led it to become profitable within 13 months. Before Sentrix, Mr. Racik served as executive VP/director of client ser vices at Blunt Hann Healthcare Marketing, where he led business development efforts and oversaw all client relationships. He worked as senior product manager at Becton Dickinson & Co. and served as director of strategic planning at Robert A. Becker Healthcare Advertising. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing advertising and marketing management from Indiana University. In additional inChord news, a senior staff member has been added at Health Process Management, a data management and analyt ics firm serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Richard V. Weiss, Ph.D. has joined the Doylestown, Pa.based company. Dr. Weiss has been named senior research scientist with responsibility for the develop ment and conduct of health outcomes research for specified projects. He also provides leader ship for project teams, including health out comes, medical, and statistics. Previously, Dr. Weiss was VP and associate scientific director at DeltaMetrics, where he was coprincipal investigator of a 19state study for substance abuse disorders. Dr. Weiss holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rider College and both a master’s degree in counseling psycholo gy and a Ph.D. in professionalscientific psy chology from the University of Pennsylvania. Darlene DOBRY Carleen KELLY William WOOD Additions to senior management at Torre Lazur Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare, Parsippa ny, N.J., has promoted Carleen Kelly to execu tive VP, director of client services, and William Wood to executive VP, chief strategy officer. Additionally, Darlene Dobry returns to the agency as executive VP, director of new business development. Ms. Kelly has managed more than 15 prod uct/new indication launches and has energized the promotional efforts of mature brands. In her new role, Ms. Kelly strives for leadership excel lence in all of Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare’s activities with clients, utilizing best practices to ensure that all clientagency experiences mea sure up to the agency’s credo. Mr. Wood brings with him more than 20 years of industry experience with expertise in both the domestic and international arenas. As the leader of Longitude Consulting, a newly formed strategic specialty within Torre Lazur McCann, Mr. Wood and his team sup port the strategic needs of all pharmaceutical clients. Longitude Consulting’s vision is to serve as a strategic extension of a pharmaceuti cal company. A seasoned and highly motivated profession al with 16 years of experience in the pharmaceu tical industry, Ms. Dobry returns to Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare bringing back with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in prescrip tion and OTC pharmaceutical advertising and brand management. Ms. Dobry served as senior VP, management supervisor, at Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare for nine years, and was the director of marketing, GI and new products, at Reliant Pharmaceuticals LLC before returning to the agency. In this new role, Ms. Dobry is focus ing her energies on developing the business at Torre Lazur McCann Healthcare with an eye on expanding the agency’s clientbase. Melissa PLAIA RTC Hires Account Supervisor RTC Relationship Marketing, which designs and implements tailored marketing communications programs, has named Melis sa Plaia account supervisor for the Hughes Network Systems and Berlex accounts. The Washington, D.C.based agency is a sub sidiary of the WPP Group Plc. Most recently, Ms. Plaia was with Digitas, New York, where she worked on the American Express, Ann Taylor, and Seagram accounts. Ms. Plaia holds a B.A. in psychology from Wake Forest University. Ed ROONEY Senior Direct Marketing Executive Joins Roska Direct Ed Rooney has joined Roska Direct as an account director, leading several key agency healthcare accounts. Roska Direct is a direct response advertising agency, specializing in both interactive and traditional media, located in Montgomeryville, Pa. Most recently, Mr. Rooney was VP and account director at Gille spie in Princeton, N.J. Please send your personnel announcements to [email protected]. PharmaVOICE

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