This month's spotlight on new hires, promotions and company acquisitions involves Elligo Health Research, PPD, Pfizer, Covance and other industry firms.
This month's spotlight on new hires, promotions and company acquisitions involves Elligo Health Research, PPD, Pfizer, Covance and other industry firms.
Elligo Health Research has appointed Michael Gibertini chief development officer. His responsibilities include developing new lines of business that support the company’s work to elevate clinical research as a patient care option.
Prior to joining Elligo, Gibertini worked more than 30 years in the life-sciences field, most recently as president of clinical development at Syneos Health.
John Potthoff, CEO of Elligo, said, “The role of chief development officer is integral to developing new lines of business that help us achieve our mission. He is already making a positive impact in our efforts to prioritize research as a healthcare option for our diverse pool of patients.”
Contract research organization PPD Inc. has signed a new three-year drug development agreement with pharma giant Pfizer Inc. Under the terms, the pharma company holds the right to extend for additional two-year periods.
The two companies currently work together, with PPD advising in clinical development and lab activity to support Pfizer’s drug development initiatives in multiple therapeutic areas.
“United in purpose, we are committed to building on our long-standing relationship with Pfizer with innovative solutions, quality execution and the dedication of our talented teams to help Pfizer deliver exciting new therapies,” said David Simmons, PPD chairman and CEO. “We are privileged to take the next steps together and contribute to Pfizer’s initiatives to achieve a healthier world.”
Aridis Pharmaceuticals has appointed Hasan Jafri as its new chief medical officer. He replaces interim CMO Paul Mendelman, who will transition to the role of senior medical advisor.
Jafri most recently worked for AstraZeneca, where he served as senior medical director, clinical research and development, microbial sciences, clinical head of Antibacterial mAb Program, and coordinator of the European Public-Private COMBACTE-NET & COMBACTE-MAGNET consortia.
"I'm excited to join Aridis especially at such a critical time within the infectious disease arena given the COVID-19 pandemic, the global antibiotic resistance challenges and the need for new innovative antibacterial therapies," Jafri commented.
Covance, the drug development arm of LabCorp, has purchased GlobalCare, a company providing decentralized clinical trial support services.
According to Covance, the purchase will increase its decentralized clinical trials capabilities around the globe, improving recruitment and access to trials. Additionally, the acquisition stands to benefit GlobalCare clients by providing broader access to necessary resources and technology to scale services.
Spanish contract development and manufacturing organization Idifarma has appointed Alfredo Gómez to serve as its head of site. Gómez will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s development, manufacturing, and regulatory solutions tailored to pharma company clients.
With more than 20 years of industry experience, Gómez most recently served as site director for Praxis Pharmaceutical. “Idifarma is well respected in the industry with an impressive track record of operating with niche, innovative and highly potent oral drugs, and using flexibility and specialization to meet customer demands; I’m looking forward to contributing to its continued success and future growth,” he said.
Almac Sciences, a member of the Almac Group, has landed a science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Industry Fellowship, in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD) flow chemistry Specialist Marcust Baumann.
The Industry Fellowship program is designed to foster collaboration between industry and academia, through funding of research projects focused on the exchange of ideas in the country. The CATCH project (the name of which is derived from “continuous biocatayzed chemicals”) is committed to developing sustainable technologies that enable competitive, and environmentally friendly, manufacture of chemical intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) via the synergetic marriage of continuous flow and biocatalytic processes.
Baumann commented, “This project will enhance my academic profile by extending my research portfolio into industrially relevant fields through close collaboration with a world leading industrial partner like Almac.”
Clinical trial technology firm Clinical Ink has been acquired by private equity investment company GI Partners. Clinical Ink’s management team also invested in the transaction, and current investor NovaQuest will continue as a minority investor.
According to Clinical Ink CEO Ed Seguine, the investment will enable the company to expand its reach and accelerate its business model during a particularly challenging time.
“GI Partners’ acquisition is a powerful validation of our eSource vision for clinical trials and will add to our growing momentum in the marketplace,” he said. “I’m excited to work with GI Partners as we launch our latest innovations later this year and expand into Asia-Pacific and Europe to support our customers’ global operations.”
Aslan Pharmaceuticals has appointed Kenneth Kobayashi chief medical officer. Kobayashi will be based in the California office of the Singapore-based company.
Kobayashi brings to the company more than 25 years of experience in drug development, clinical practice and regulatory affairs, with a specialty in dermatology. Most recently he served as senior medical director at Dermira, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly, where he was responsible for the development of lebrikizumab, a monoclonal antibody for atopic dermatitis.
Fulton Labs, a company offering leasing of laboratory space, has broken ground on a 423,454-square-foot facility in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. The facility is intended to provide research organizations with temporary lab capacity shortage to accommodate overflow.
When completed, the facility will feature 16 floors, including 12 floors of advanced wet and dry lab space. Features include column-free and long-span layouts, and space that meets VC-A vibration criteria.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said, “Illinois is home to a massive biopharma concentration, one of the largest tech talent pools in the United States, and some of the best research universities on earth. I’m committed to building an Illinois economy that creates jobs and expands access to prosperity – and the life science industry is a critical asset to that vision.”
Croda International has acquired Avanti Polar Lipids, a company that specializes in lipid-based drug delivery technologies for next-generation pharmaceuticals. The company was acquired for an initial consideration of $185m on a debt and cash-free basis, with an additional earnout of up to $75m based on near-term commercial opportunities using Avanti’s lipid-based solutions.
Founded in 1967, Avanti is a global company based in Alabama, with 150 employees and approximately 125 product launches annually. Its high-purity polar lipids are used as delivery systems for complex therapeutic drugs and in next-generation mRNA vaccines.
Croda CEO Steve Foots said, “With their exciting drug delivery technologies, Avanti is a market leader in a high growth niche of the health care market, serving over 3,000 customers globally…I am confident that Avanti will prove transformative to the capabilities and performance of our Life Sciences sector.”
