People In The News: Tracking The Latest Industry Personnel Moves

New top leadership at PPD and Promedior; Pfizer names new presidents at two business units; Former FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach and former HHS Secretary Thompson take on board of director roles. More personnel announcements in this month’s column.

Presidents and CEOs

Pharmaceutical Product Development names David Simmons CEO and chairman. He recently ended a 15-year tenure at Pfizer Inc., where he most recently was president and general manager of the emerging markets and established products business units. Oliver Brandicourt will take over in Simmons’ former role at Pfizer (Also see "Pfizer Shuffle: Simmons Out, Brandicourt In At Emerging Markets And Established Products Unit" - Pink Sheet, 23 May, 2012.). Pfizer also introduces John Young as president and general manager of its primary care business unit … Promedior Inc. appoints Suzanne Bruhn president and CEO. She most recently served as senior VP of strategic planning and program management at Shire’s human genetic therapies division. Bruhn succeeds Dominick Colangelo, who Promedior said left to pursue other opportunities … Michael Hayden will take over as president of global research and development and chief scientific officer at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. He had been the Killam Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia.

Chief Officers

Epizyme Inc. introduces Eric Hedrick as chief medical officer. His previous post was VP of oncology development and interim chief medical officer at Pharmacyclics … AmerisourceBergen Corp. formally names Tim Guttman senior VP and chief financial officer. He has been serving as acting CFO since February … Luis Gutierrez takes over as executive VP and chief commercial officer at Aptiv Solutions after leaving MedAssurant, where he was senior VP of pharmaceutical and life sciences operations … IntegenX Inc. names David Smith chief operating officer. He had been executive VP and CFO at Thoratec Corp., and serves on the OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. board of directors … CorMedix names Randy Milby COO. He takes over for Brian Lenz, who resigned from his COO and CFO posts to pursue other opportunities. Richard Cohen is named interim CFO.

Promotion

Agios Pharmaceuticals promotes John Evans to VP of business development. He joined the company in 2009.

New Hires

Camargo Pharmaceutical Services names K. Gary Barnette VP of drug development. He most recently was VP of clinical research and development strategy at GTx Inc. … Ariana Pharma appoints James Shanahan VP of business development at its Ariana Data Intelligence Inc. subsidiary. Shanahan co-founded SynDevRx Inc., and remains on its board of directors … InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. adds Jack Harvey, senior director of manufacturing, and Celina Chang, senior scientist, to its management team. Both join the company from Pervasis Therapeutics Inc. … Henric Juserius joins Medivir AB as VP of the company’s commercial activities. He most recently was commercial director for the Nordic region at Actelion Pharmaceuticals … Antares Pharma Inc. hires LeRoux Jooste as senior VP of pharmaceutical sales and marketing. He recently departed Cephalon Inc., where he was VP of commercial assessment and new product planning … Agios names Robert DeVita VP of chemistry and Marion Dorsch VP of biology. DeVita joins from Merck Research Laboratories, where he was director of medicinal chemistry, while Dorsch previously headed up the cancer biology group at Sanofi Oncology … Robert Clark joins Novo Nordisk Inc. as VP of regulatory affairs in its U.S. operations. Clark had been Pfizer’s U.S. regulatory strategy head.

Congress

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee promotes Pam Smith to staff director from her deputy position. She succeeds Dan Smith, who left the committee to join The Sheridan Group, a non-profit advocacy group, as principal. As deputy staff director, Pam Smith played a key role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Board of Directors

Former FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach joins the Banyan Biomarkers board of directors ... Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson takes over as chairman of the TherapeuticsMD board of directors from Robert Finizio, who stays on as CEO and a board member … PLx Pharma adds Yellow Woods Partners Founding Partner Peter Mann to its board of directors … EnVivo Pharmaceuticals names Alfred Sandrock, senior VP of development sciences and chief medical officer at Biogen Idec, to its board of directors … Teva’s board re-elects Chairman Phillip Frost to a three-year term.

Award

Women Health Care Executives names Sharon Levine, associate executive director of the Permanente Medical Group of Northern California and member of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute board of governors, its 2012 Woman of the Year.

[Editor’s Note: On the first Monday of each month, “The Pink Sheet” chronicles employment changes, professional awards and other news about people in the pharmaceutical industry. Submit announcements to Gregory Twachtman at [email protected].]