US-based contract research organisation Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) has expanded its global product development department with the appointment of three new therapeutic area heads, Drs Daniel Burch, Puneet Mohan and Alan Solinger.
PPD’s global product development team includes six therapeutic area heads in total. Daniel Burch will be responsible for central nervous system activities.
He brings to PPD 20 years’ experience in general management, global drug development, global medical affairs and business development across multiple therapeutic areas and functions. Burch joins the company from CeNeRx BioPharma, where he most recently executive vice president of research and development and chief medical officer.
Puneet Mohan was named therapeutic area head for cardiovascular/metabolism. He comes to PPD from Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he most recently served as executive director of global clinical development and global clinical leader for apixaban. This is a position Mohan held for eight years of a 29-year medical career.
Alan M. Solinger has accumulated extensive directorial and clinical experience in product development, regulatory negotiations, marketing approval and line extensions during a 30-year medical career, PPD noted. He joins the company from XOMA, where he was vice president of clinical immunology.
PPD’s existing therapeutic area heads are Dr Carol Olson (infectious diseases), Dr Dirk Reitsma (oncology) and Peter Summerfield (respiratory).
Beyond trial implementation
“In today’s environment, we are partnering with clients on complex drug development strategy and providing medical and scientific expertise that extends beyond traditional clinical trial implementation,” commented Rob Dow, who is global head of medical affairs for PPD and manages the product development team.
“These experts have held senior leadership roles in top biopharma companies, and their expertise will bring added strategic value to our clients,” Dow added.
.
