SENATE LABOR & HUMAN RESOURCES CMTE.'S NEW CHIEF COUNSEL IS WILLIAM RYAN

SENATE LABOR & HUMAN RESOURCES CMTE.'S NEW CHIEF COUNSEL IS WILLIAM RYAN, formerly J&J's VP-Internatl. Ryan left the company Friday, Oct. 18 and reported to the Senate cmte. on Oct. 21. A veteran of almost two decades with J&J, Ryan had held a number of positions including asst. general counsel, asst. secretary, and corporate secretary. In the J&J cmte. structure, he had served on the boards of Ortho Pharmaceuticals, Ortho Diagnostics, Ethicon, J&J Hospital Services, J&J Biotechnology Center and Devro.

In a press release announcing the appointment, Senate Labor & Human Resources Cmte. Chairman Hatch (R-Utah) said: "I first became aware of Bill's ability last year when he played an instrumental, private sector role during Senate consideration" of the ANDA/Patent Restoration Act. Ryan was specifically cited by Hatch at the end of the August negotiating in 1984 as one of the key figures in helping to break the logjam on the bill. J&J had been pushing for exclusivity for products which required significant development work but which were not new chemical entities. That proposal translated into the exclusivity provisions relating to FDA approvals in the bill.

Ryan earned his BA in economics and history from Hobart College in 1956. His LLB is from Fordham University (1959). Before joining J&J, he worked for the law firm of Rogers & Wells.