Neil Gallagher, MD PhD, joins Astex as Director of Clinical Development
Cambridge, UK, March 7 2005.
Astex Technology, the fragment-based drug discovery and development company, today announced the appointment of Neil Gallagher, MD PhD, as Director of Clinical Development. Dr Gallagher will be responsible for implementing clinical plans for the development of Astex's pipeline of novel drug candidates, the first of which is targeted to enter Phase I clinical trials later this year.
Dr Harren Jhoti, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Astex said, "I am delighted that we have been able to attract Neil to join Astex. His excellent track record in clinical development and translational research in oncology will help to accelerate the clinical development of Astex's portfolio of molecularly-targeted oncology drugs. This appointment is another key step in our evolution into an integrated pharmaceutical drug discovery and development company as we approach clinical trials."
"The quality of Astex's science is truly impressive as is the speed with which the company has been able to develop its pipeline of novel oncology drugs", commented Neil Gallagher, MD PhD. "I look forward to spearheading the advancement of Astex's first oncology compounds into the clinic in the coming months."
Dr. Gallagher joins Astex from AstraZeneca where, most recently, he led clinical development teams delivering "Proof of Principle" data in man for novel oncology drugs. He joined AstraZeneca in 2000 and worked on a variety of oncology products including Tomudex®, Zoladex® and Iressa® as well as other, novel, first-in-class oncology agents. Dr Gallagher has also worked on regulatory processes and approvals with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and The Organization for Pharmaceutical Safety and Research (OPSR/Kiko) in Japan. Between 1995 and 1999, Dr Gallagher was a Cancer Research Campaign Clinical Research Fellow in Gynaecological Oncology at the Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, where he received his PhD in 2000. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an MD degree in 1989.