German National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Elias Zerhouni finally a full-time job: Head of Research and Development Sanofi-Aventis, the french pharmaceutical giant.
Zerhouni is a radiologist and inventor who has spent most of his career as a researcher and director at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he is still on the faculty. As director of the NIH from 02 to October 08, he dealt with tightening budgets and programs launched to accelerate the translation of basic laboratory discoveries into drugs. Responding to congressional concerns, it has also prohibited the paid consulting for pharmaceutical companies by scientists from the NIH campus.
Since leaving government, Zerhouni served as the science of the US envoy to the Middle East and a senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and ran a consulting company. It was also a scientific advisor to Sanofi-Aventis CEO Chris Viehbacher since February 09.
Viehbacher said in a statement that Zerhouni, who will be based at the headquarters of the company in Paris, helped the company reshape its research efforts. "I am delighted that the world renowned figure such as Elias is onboard to direct and drive our R & D organization," said Viehbacker. Originally from Algeria, Zerhouni speaks French. It begins on January 1st.
According to The Wall Street Journal , Sanofi-Aventis is struggling to find ways to compensate for the revenue that will be lost when several of its drugs lose patent protection over the next years. The company tries to buy Genzyme Corp. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that specializes in drugs for rare diseases.
0 Komentar