Plexxikon, Oculus, MedImmune and Pharmatech Associates - People on the move

Gary Visor has joined small molecules specialist Plexxikon​ in the newly created position of vice president, pharmaceutics. Moving over from his previous position at OSI pharmaceuticals, Visor will be responsible for managing pharmaceutical drug substance scale up, manufacturing and dosage design and development in his new role. Plexxikon has several products in early clinical trials, including treatments for melanoma, colorectal cancer and type II diabetes, and anticipates a growing clinical stage portfolio. Visor's 20 years in senior operations roles with companies such as Cardinal Health, Roche Bioscience and Gilead will no doubt bring a wealth of experience to his role at Plexxikon. Oculus Innovative Sciences​ has installed a new vice president of regulatory affairs and quality in the form of "industry veteran" Dana Redhair. Redhair will bring his regulatory experience from dealings with applications for Tysabri (natalizumab), betaseron (interferon beta-1b) and Regranex (becaplermin) to Oculus' portfolio of products for the treatment of infections in chronic and acute wounds. The company hopes that Redhair's experience will facilitate regulatory compliance and communication regarding the Oculus' drug development strategy, particularly with regard to products entering Phase III trials later this year. Redhair most recently served as vice president of regulatory affairs and quality at SGX Pharmaceuticals, following stints at Elan Pharmaceuticals, Chiron, Berlex labs and Genentech. MedImmune​ has also this week announced that its founder, Wayne Hockmeyer, will be stepping down as president of the company following the completion of the $15.6bn (€11.5bn) acquisition of the company by AstraZeneca. Hockmeyer, who has been part of MedImmune Ventures for the last nineteen years, is entering retirement following the completion of the deal, and expects the company to continue developing new and successful therapies and cementing its role as "one of the premier biotech companies"​ in its new position as part of AstraZeneca. Pharmaceutical manufacturing consultancy firm Pharmatech Associate​s​ also recently announced a new addition to its team, appointing Warford Reaney as executive vice president of consulting and international operations. Reaney has moved from his previous role as vice president of consulting and managing director of international operations at the firm, which provides quality, validation and compliance advice to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Reaney himself has experience in overseeing the development and deployment of quality systems for biopharmaceutical firms, and integrating good manufacturing practices. He will be primarily responsible for the company's new international consultancy based in Hyderabad, India, a region the company hopes to take advantage of as it establishes itself as a key hub in the pharma and biotech industries.