News from Nycomed, Numira, Isotechnika, and Corcept – People on the move

Outsourcing-Pharma presents its round up of the latest appointments within the pharmaceutical industry, with news from Nycomed, Numira, Isotechnika, and Corcept.

Isotechnika Pharma has appointed Robert Huizinga as their new VP, clinical affairs.

Huizinga – who moves from his role as Senior Director, Clinical Affairs at Isotechnika – will now lead the development and execution of global clinical trial strategies for the company’s leading drug Voclosporin.

CEO Robert Foster said of Huizinga’s promotion: "Mr. Huizinga has put tremendous effort into the clinical development of voclosporin.

“The appointment of Mr. Huizinga to Vice President, Clinical Affairs underscores the importance of the preparation and execution of our Phase III renal transplant program.

“His intimate experience with the clinical development of voclosporin, and his solid reputation in the nephrology and transplant communities make him an ideal candidate to oversee this process."

William Harrison has been drafted onto the board of directors at Numira Biosciences.

Currently CEO at Michigan-based CRO consulting firm VIDA Sciences, Harrison will now bring his 25 years experience to the3D imaging and visualization software specialists.

"We are pleased that Bill has joined our board," said Michael Beeuwsaert, president and CEO of Numira.

"His 25 years of senior management and regulatory compliance experience in a high-growth, preclinical services environment will be of great value to Numira as we move to the next level as a company."

Tonix Pharmaceuticals, a company specializing in developing therapies for disorders of the central nervous system, has named Charles Mather as its latest board member.

Mather is MD in the Investment Banking Group at Janney Capital Markets, as well as co-heading the Equity Capital Markets Group.

Of his new role, Mather said: “I am pleased to be joining the board of a company making such a difference in the CNS area where there are so many unmet needs.”

Corcept Therapeutics has named Gary ‘Charlie’ Robb as the new CFO.

Before joining Corcept, Robb served as senior VP of operations, administration and finance at Fitness Anywhere.

In his new role he will oversee preparations for potential commercialisation of the company’s first product CORLUX – for the treatment of Cushing's Syndrome – which is currently under review by the FDA.

Joseph Belanoff, CEO at Corecept said: "Charlie's experience managing company finances and operations under rapid growth will be valuable to Corcept as we prepare to move CORLUX toward the market if our New Drug Application for Cushing's Syndrome is approved, continue our ongoing Phase 3 program for the treatment of the psychotic features of psychotic major depression and advance our second generation selective GR-II antagonists into clinical development."

EDC company OmniComm Systems has placed Applied Clinical Intelligence president Jonathan Seltzer on its board of directors.

Seltzer also currently he serves as president and chair of the board of trustees for the Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Investigators, and on their behalf, he serves on the steering committee of the Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative.

He said: "I'm looking forward to joining OmniComm Systems and contributing to their impressive growth.

“I will try to leverage my experience as an investigator to ensure that we continue to release cutting-edge technology and services to meet the evolving needs of the clinical investigator and research community."

Brian Markison has become the new president and CEO for Nycomed US.

The company is a newly created standalone corporation created in the aftermath of Nycomed A/S’s acquisition by Japanese CRO Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Under his new role, Markison will also serve on the company’s board of directors.

He said: “This is an exciting time for the company because we have the opportunity to grow aggressively and forge our future as an independent entity.”