Dave Mott, president and chief executive officer of AstraZeneca's biologics business unit, MedImmune, has decided to leave the company at the end of July for personal reasons. Tony Zook, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca’s North American business and executive vice president of global marketing, has been appointed head of MedImmune on an interim basis until a permanent successor is named.
   
David Brennan, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca, said, “Under Dave Mott’s leadership, the team at MedImmune has built a unique capability to discover, develop and deliver innovative biologic treatments — an important element of AstraZeneca’s future strategy. We will continue to build on that strong platform, maximizing the potential of products in the MedImmune portfolio while delivering innovative new biological medicines and vaccines that treat and prevent disease.”



Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines unit of Sanofi-Aventis, has established a new automated vaccine production facility in Val de Reuil, France to respond to increased vaccine demand worldwide. This new $156 million facility incorporates the latest technology and is part of the $935 million that the company has invested in France between 2005 and 2008.
   
"Sanofi Pasteur's commitment to global health is exemplified by significant investments in vaccine production infrastructures. These efforts are aimed at meeting a world demand for vaccines expected to double by 2016," said Wayne Pisano, president and chief executive officer of Sanofi Pasteur, who inaugurated the new production unit. "The new facility will provide high-end production work environment for dedicated people who produce vaccines for the world."
   
The new facility can produce vaccines against 20 diseases and is designed to respond to pandemic flu, once the flu strain is identified by the World Health Organization. Construction of the 7,800-square-meter building began in 2006 and is projected to be operational by the end of this year. The facility is scaled to fill 200 million syringes and vials per year, twice the current capacity at this site.

Dr. Lori McDonald has been named vice president, quality and compliance at MDS Pharma Services. Dr. McDonald will lead the company's ongoing program to build and manage quality and regulatory compliance systems across its global business platforms.
   
"I'm delighted that Dr. McDonald has joined our leadership team," said president David Spaight. "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."
   
Dr. McDonald previously served as vice president, regulatory affairs with Alder Biopharmaceuticals. From 2001 to 2006, Dr. McDonald held a series of leadership roles with Cardinal Health, most recently having served as executive director, regulatory affairs. Prior to that, she worked at Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories.

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