Rich Fante has been named president of
AstraZeneca's U.S. business. Mr. Fante takes over from
Tony Zook, whose role was expanded after recently being named president of MedImmune, AZ's wholly-owned biologics business. Mr. Zook is chief executive officer of AstraZeneca North America and head of global marketing.
Said Mr. Zook, "Rich brings strong leadership and a wealth of experience that is invaluable to our business and for improving patient health."
Previously, Mr. Fante served as AZ's vice president, Brand Strategy & Portfolio Operations. He led the development and execution of marketing strategies for all AZ brands in the U.S. He has held a number of leadership roles in his 13 years at AZ, including vice president-Primary Care for the gastrointestinal and respiratory franchises, including Nexium and Pulmicort Respules.
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Nancy Lurker has been named chief executive officer of
PDI, Inc., a provider of contract sales and commercial services to the biopharmaceutical industry. She was also named to the board of directors.
Ms. Lurker previously served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Novartis AG, where she oversaw a product portfolio in multiple therapeutic areas representing multi-billion dollars in annual sales. While at Novartis she launched numerous products including Exforge, Tekturna, Reclast and Exelon Patch, as well as several marketing and productivity initiatives.
Prior to Novartis she was president and chief executive officer of ImpactRx, a privately owned company offering among its services the evaluation of the impact of pharmaceutical promotion on the prescribing behavior of the nation's highest prescribing physicians.
“I am excited to be joining PDI,” said Ms. Lurker. “PDI is a company with a long and proven heritage. I believe in its long-term future. While there are industry and company challenges, my goal will be to focus on strategies for growth and to return the company to profitability. Customer focus, sales excellence and superior service delivery will be at the top of our agenda. I look forward to working with the people of PDI and its customers as we solidify a long-term growth track.”
For breaking news from this year's AAPS conference, visit our Live from AAPS site!
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