MDS Pharma Services, Quintiles, Xcelience and Synexus - People on the move

MDS Pharma Services​ has named Dr Patrice Hugo​ as vice president of Scientific Affairs for its global central laboratory network. In the post, Hugo will lead the development of innovative biomarkers and esoteric assays, designed to enhance clinical development productivity across all phases. Dr Hugo has more than 15 years of relevant experience in discovery, preclinical, clinical development, diagnostics and biotechnology, with a focus on biomarker evaluation and development across a range of therapeutic areas. He joins MDS from Caprion Proteomics, where he was executive vice president of Research and Development. "The importance of biomarkers has grown as the industry shifts toward personalised medicine and seeks to expedite drug discovery and development while controlling costs,"​ said MDS Pharma Services president David Spaight. "As part of this trend, MDS Pharma Services has validated and implemented more than 100 custom biomarkers in the last two years, and Dr Hugo's appointment reflects our intention to remain a key player in this important arena."​ Meanwhile, the company has made another appointment of late, hiring Dr Lori McDonald​ as vice president of Quality and Compliance, to lead the firm's programme to build and manage quality and regulatory compliance systems across its global business. "By enabling process improvements and compliance with regulatory requirements, she and her staff will be instrumental in helping MDS Pharma Services deliver high-quality, on-time services. This will help our clients expedite their drug discovery and development programs,"​ said Spaight. Before joining MDS, McDonald served as vice president of Regulatory Affairs with Alder Biopharmaceuticals. Quintiles​ has recently promoted Christopher Cabell​ to chief medical and scientific officer, taking over from Oren Cohen, who was recently appointed senior vice president of Clinical Research Strategies. In his new role, Cabell will be responsible for company-wide initiatives that focus on bioethics and the protection of human subjects, as well as the development of initiatives that "bring forward innovations in medicine, science and technology into future business models",​ the firm said. Prior to the promotion, Cabell held the position of global cardiovascular/endocrine therapeutic group leader within the Medical and Scientific Services group and provided cardiology expertise for Quintiles Electrocardiogram (ECG) Services. Xcelience​ has recently hired Paul Skultety​ as director of Pharmaceutical Development Services, where he will oversee the firm's preformulation, analytical and formulation services. Skultety has over 26 years experience in pharmaceutical research and formulation development and has previously served as vice president of Scientific Development at Aptuit and vice president of Pharmaceutics at Quintiles. In addition, he has nine registered patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office related to formulation and pharmaceutical composition. Xcelience said that Skultety's "unique background in pharmaceutical formulation"​ compliments its offerings to its customers and "expands the company's team structure and ability to become a direct extension of sponsors' laboratories".​ Synexus​ has announced the appointment of specialist chest physician Dr Sándor Kis​ as country manager of Hungary, where he will be responsible for clinical trials at the contract research organisation's hub site in Budapest, as well as the development of new business in Hungary. Working for a variety of major pharma companies over the years, Kis has "extensive expertise"​ in clinical trials and in marketing, said the firm. According to Synexus, the country is proving to be one of the most attractive places to run clinical trials with good access to hundreds of thousands of patients. The Hungarian clinical hub site is now involved in several major studies for big pharma firms, as well as a number of smaller studies.