Clinsys Clinical Research, BioReliance Corporation, InVentiv Health, PRA International, Kendle, Parexel, PPD, Wyeth and PharmaNet - People on the move

Clinsys Clinical Research​ announced several new appointments including Dr. Anthony Abruzzini​ as vice president of global regulatory services, Dr Linda Patricia Miller​ as chief medical officer and John Hogan​ as project director for CNS. Dr Abruzzini, who holds a PhD in immunology and medical microbiology from the University of Florida, was previously senior vice president of regulatory services with INC Research, vice president of clinical development and regulatory affairs at Encelle and executive director of regulatory and technical services at Quintiles. Dr Miller held the positions of director of clinical research, oncology with Eisai and associate director of clinical development with Organon. Hogan joins Clinsys having recently been with Sepracor as clinical project manager, CNS and was previously with INC Research as senior clinical trial manager, CNS. In other appointments, Dr David Onions​ will be rejoining BioReliance Corporation​ as chief scientific officer after finishing a two-year stint as chief medical officer at Invitrogen. Dr. Onions was a founder and director of Q-One Biotech Limited, a Scottish company well-known for its innovative biosafety testing and cGMP manufacturing services, which was acquired by BioReliance in 2003. At that time Dr Onions joined BioReliance as the company's chief scientific officer prior to accepting his role at Invitrogen. Dr Onions will be responsible for leading BioReliance's global scientific efforts across preclinical and clinical activities, including the development of enhanced assay systems, consulting with key customers and partnering with regulatory agencies. In addition, he will continue to serve on several boards of international health care organisations, including the World Health Organization's Expert Advisory Panel on Biological Standardisation and the UK Stem Cell Foundation Grants Advisory Board. Meanwhile, Blane Walter​ has been promoted from president and chief executive of InVentiv Communications to a newly created job as president of the parent company, InVentiv Health​. Walter has headed the communications division for 12 years. InVentiv also promoted William O'Donnell​ from chief financial officer to president and chief operating officer of the communications division. He will report to Walter. PRA International​ appointed its interim chief executive Terry Bieker​ to permanently take the position. Board chairman Mel Booth said: "Terry's impressive credentials and outstanding performance as interim CEO solidified our confidence in his ability to drive PRA's business beyond the $1bn threshold."​ Bieker was previously president, chief executive and director of BioSource International and was hired by PRA when Pat Donnelly resigned late last year. The company also named Colin Shannon​ as president and chief operating officer. Another appointment announced was that of Dr Ed Richards​ as vice president of Kendle​'s global clinical development in Europe and Africa. The appointment strengthens the company's global clinical development leadership team, helping to drive continued growth in its Phase II-III business worldwide, the company announced. Dr Richards will bring 30 years of management, marketing and therapeutic experience to Kendle, a leading global clinical research organisation. Another vice president position has been filled with the appointment of Dr Joe Avellone​ in Parexel's operations for the clinical research services section. He will lead operational aspects of the firm's Phase II-IV clinical development programmes, including project management, clinical operations, and management of the Americas Medical Affairs group. In addition to North America, his responsibilities will span Parexel's extensive operations in Latin America, where the company is one of the leading biopharmaceutical outsourcing organisations. Prior to joining Parexel, Dr. Avellone was the former chief executive of Veritas Medicine, a healthcare technology company supporting clinical research trials. In resignation news, Pharmaceutical Product Development​ (PPD) announced its chief financial officer Linda Baddour​ will resign at the end of May. She will serve as a consultant over the next six months as the company searches for a replacement. As part of the transition process, internal auditor Peter Wilkinson has been promoted to vice president of finance and chief accounting officer, and corporate controller Brian Tuttle will take on the additional role as vice president of finance. Meanwhile, Wyeth​ chief financial officer Kenneth Martin​ will be leaving in June. Martin, who has held the post of CFO since 2000 and is also vice chairman at Wyeth, is departing to "pursue personal interests"​. The drug maker added that it expects to name a new CFO prior to Martin's departure. And in related news, PharmaNet​'s director of safety and pharmacovigilance Frank Schurer​ received a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) group recognition award for providing invaluable assistance to the agency as a member of its electronic submissions gateway (ESG) team. The award acknowledges his exceptional performance on the implementation of the regulator's ESG which allows for the secure agency-wide submission of regulatory information over the internet. Meanwhile, Pharmaceutical Product Development chairman Ernest Mario sold 100,000 shares of common stock for $34.51 to $35.08 apiece (€25.52 to €25.94), according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.