MetrioPharm AG attracts high profile pharma executive
Zurich/London, November 12, 2014. In November 2014, John J. Alam, M.D. joined MetrioPharm AG as Senior Medical Advisor and Non-Executive Board Member.
"We are thrilled that based on the results and prospects of MetrioPharm's MP1000 drug platform, we were able to attract a high-profile industry veteran like Dr. Alam," said Dr. Wolfgang Brysch, CSO and President of the Board.
"With an outstanding track record of shepherding the development of several blockbuster drugs in the US biotech industry, Dr. Alam is the ideal person to help us propel the company to the next level. We are very much looking forward to working with him."
Dr. Alam, in turn, commented: "I am pleased to join MetrioPharm at this exciting time as they prepare to initiate clinical trials with MP1032. The advances the company has made in developing novel composition of matter intellectual property around the MP1000 class of compounds and understanding its mechanism of action is impressive. I look forward to working with the team to realize the full medical and commercial opportunity afforded by this innovative research."
John Alam is Chief Executive/Founder of EIP Pharma, LLC, a Boston-area private biotechnology company. Until May 2014, he was therapeutic area head for diseases of aging within Sanofi R&D. In that role he led all discovery and development activities at Sanofi directed at Alzheimer's disease, as well as a number of other age-related diseases (Sarcopenia/Frailty, Osteoarthritis, Chronic Pain, and others).
Dr. Alam is also a member of the board of directors of Pathfinder Cell Therapy, a publicly traded regenerative medicine company; and on the board of directors for Alliance for Aging Research, a Washington DC-based non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating scientific discoveries related to the aging process and their application.
In 2010, Dr. Alam joined Inhibitex, Inc. as its Senior Medical Advisor, successfully directing the clinical and regulatory strategies for the company's development programs. During his involvement with Inhibitex Dr. Alam helped shape the successful clinical development strategy which later led to the company's acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. in 2012 for $2.5 billion.
Previously, from 1997 until 2008, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., including Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President Medicines Development. At Vertex, he played major roles in the development of novel innovative medicines for HIV (Lexiva), Hepatitis C (Incivek), and Cystic Fibrosis (Kalydeco). From 1991 to 1997, at Biogen, Inc., as Director of Medical Research and then Program Executive for Avonex, he led the clinical development of Avonex (interferon beta-1a) for multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Alam received a S.B. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a M.D. from Northwestern University School of Medicine.