Shire bags senior research execs from GSK and Abbott
pharmafile | February 9, 2011 | News story | Research and Development | Dr Lawson Macartney, Dr Mario Saltarelli, Shire, appointment, recruitment, research and development
Shire has strengthened its speciality pharmaceuticals business with the appointment of senior research executives from GlaxoSmithKline and Abbott.
Dr Lawson Macartney, the former head of GSK’s global product strategy, joins as head of Shire’s emerging business unit, and ex-Abbott clinical development VP Dr Mario Saltarelli will be Shire’s new senior VP of clinical development and medical affairs.
“The experience and expertise that Drs Macartney and Saltarelli bring to the Shire team will help us advance our pipeline, more effectively manage the lifecycle of our medicines, and provide growth opportunities – all in the spirit of helping patients with life-altering conditions to lead better lives,” said Jeffrey Jonas, head of research and development for Shire’s Specialty Pharmaceuticals business.
Dr Macartney will be responsible for the early pipeline and development efforts of Shire’s specialty pharmaceuticals business, which is centered on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and gastrointestinal diseases.
He will direct the R&D evaluation of new product opportunities and explore new therapeutic areas. Based initially in Shire’s US office Pennsylvania he will eventually move to Shire’s Nyon, Switzerland office.
Dr Macartney spent nearly 20 years working with GlaxoSmithKline, most recently served as head of global product strategy and project/portfolio management.
He also held leadership roles at the company in the cardiopulmonary therapeutic area, from project leader to global head for cardiovascular, metabolic and urology.
Prior to his time at GSK, he worked at AstraMerck and Astra Pharmaceuticals in leadership roles in operations, marketing and customer service.
Shire’s new senior vice president of clinical development and medical affairs Dr Mario Saltarelli will be based in Shire’s Wayne, Pennsylvania offices and provide overall scientific and professional leadership as well as clinical and medical strategies for Shire’s global drug development programmes.
His background spans nearly two decades across medical science, clinical drug development, and the scientific and regulatory aspects of clinical program design.
He joins Shire from Abbott Laboratories where he served as the divisional vice president directly accountable for all aspects of clinical development, medical affairs, and development strategy for global neuroscience and anesthesia products.
Prior to that, Dr Saltarelli spent seven years at Pfizer global R&D in Connecticut, ultimately as executive director of the CNS early clinical development group, and he served for four years as an assistant professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine.
Dominic Tyer
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