Elan Announces New Appointments in BioNeurology and EDT Businesses
DUBLIN, Feb 11, 2010 – Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) today announced several key appointments in its BioNeurology and Drug Technology (EDT) businesses: Robert Rubens, M.D., MBA to Vice President, Global Medical Affairs; Susan Abu Shakra, M.D. to Vice President, Alzheimer’s Program Lead; Gene Kinney, Ph.D. to Vice President, Pharmacology; Vikram Seoni, D.D.S., MBA: to Vice President and Head of Business Development for EDT; and Leah Lipsich, Ph.D., to Vice President and Head of Early Stage Development for EDT.
“We’re very pleased to welcome these talented individuals,” said Elan CEO Kelly Martin. “With these new appointments, we are adding to our bench strength as we continue to tackle the most challenging neurodegenerative diseases while building our drug technologies.”
Robert Rubens, M.D., MBA
Vice President, Global Medical Affairs
Dr. Rubens joins Elan as Vice President, Global Medical Affairs. In this role, Rubens will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive Medical Affairs practice for Elan and will lead the work of Elan’s Scientific Advisory Boards.
Rubens joins Elan from Myriad Pharmaceuticals where he was Vice President, Medical Affairs. He has also held senior medical affairs leadership positions at Sepracor and Pfizer. Prior to Pfizer, Rubens had a 17-year career in clinical adult neurology practice during which time he held an appointment as a clinical associate professor of neurology at the University of Washington.
Rubens holds an M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at The Johns Hopkins University.
Susan Abu Shakra, M.D.
Vice President, Program Lead for Alzheimer’s Disease
Dr. Abu Shakra joins Elan as Vice President, Program Lead for Elan’s Alzheimer’s disease work. In this role, Abu Shakra will be responsible for leading the development of new therapies in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Abu Shakra joins Elan most recently from Allergan where she was a clinical program lead. Prior to Allergan, she held leadership positions with Astra Zeneca, Eisai and Wyeth. Abu Shakra’s experience includes overseeing phase II and phase III trials for severe Alzheimer’s disease, managing submission processes for FDA approvals and serving on the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Industry Advisory Board and the European Alzheimer’s disease task forces.
Abu Shakra holds an M.D. from the American University of Beirut Medical School, Lebanon. Her residency and fellowship training was at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
Gene Kinney, Ph.D.
Vice President, Pharmacology
Dr. Kinney joins Elan as Vice President, Pharmacology. In this role, he will be responsible for the progression of new molecules from discovery into the clinic in Elan’s primary therapeutic areas of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Kinney joins Elan from Merck where he was Senior Director and head of Central Pharmacology, Bioanalytics & Pathology. In this role, he led cross-functional efforts to develop novel therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to Merck, Kinney was a Senior Research Investigator at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has also held an appointment as Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine and was a postdoctoral fellow at AstraZeneca.
Kinney holds a Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology and Center for Complex Systems and Brain.
Vikram Seoni, D.D.S., MBA
Vice President and Head of Business Development for EDT
Dr. Seoni joins as Vice President and Head of Business Development for Elan Drug Technologies. In this role, he will have responsibility for all aspects of business development and licensing within EDT.
Seoni joins Elan from Endo Pharmaceuticals where he was Vice President of Business Development and completed a number of deals spanning the breadth of drug delivery technologies. Prior to Endo, Seoni was with Johnson & Johnson in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility.
Seoni holds a D.D.S. from University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Leah Lipsich, Ph.D.
Vice President and Head of Early Stage Development for EDT
Dr. Lipsich joins Elan as Vice President and Head of Early Stage Development (ESD) for Elan Drug Technologies. In this role, Lipsich will have responsibility for all early-stage product and technology development activities.
Lipsich joins us from UCB Pharma where she was Vice President of Nonclinical Development Sciences. Under her leadership, multiple new chemical and biological entities have reached the global marketplace in a variety of formulations. Prior to UCB Pharma, Lipsich was with Purdue Pharma, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Lipsich holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati.
About Elan
Elan Corporation, plc is a neuroscience-based biotechnology company committed to making a difference in the lives of patients and their families by bringing innovations in science to fill significant unmet medical needs. Elan shares trade on the New York and Irish Stock Exchanges. For additional information about the company, please visit www.elan.com.