donald_johns_biogen_idec

Biogen Idec hires from Novartis to head ALS

pharmafile | September 1, 2014 | Appointment | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing Biogen IDEC, Novartis, als, donald johns 

Biogen Idec has appointed Dr Donald Johns as the vice president of its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) innovation hub unit.

Johns joins Biogen Idec from Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research where he has held many positions over the past 10 years, including vice president and global head of Neuroscience Translational Medicine. He has spent more than 30 years researching and developing medicines for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

The appointment is named amid the current online viral charity-lead campaign called the Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people pour cold water over themselves, donate money and then nominate friends and family to do the same.

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Johns will lead the firm’s ‘ALS iHub’ which is a new unit dedicated to accelerating the discovery and development of novel therapies for ALS. He will report directly to Dr Alfred Sandrock, group senior VP and chief medical officer.

“We are committed to bringing critical therapies to ALS patients as quickly and efficiently as possible. Don’s experience as a clinician and researcher, his dedication to patients, and his successful track record make him a perfect addition to help us achieve this goal,” says Sandrock. “Under Don’s leadership, I believe that the ALS iHub model will drive meaningful innovations in ALS discovery and development.”

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