Pharmaceutical Product Development announced it added two new leaders in product development.
“PPD’s global team of scientific, medical and strategic experts provides our clients expertise that helps reduce the cost and time associated with bringing medicines to market,” Rob Dow, senior vice president of medical affairs for PPD said. “By joining this team, these leaders deepen our expertise in neuroscience, pediatrics and rare diseases – areas that are very important to PPD and our customers.”
Stephen Peroutka, M.D., Ph.D., has joined PPD to serve as vice president of global product development and therapeutic area head for neuroscience.
Peroutka served as an advisor and consultant to several biopharmaceutical companies. He previously served as chief medical officer at Semnur Pharmaceuticals and as chief medical officer and executive vice president of NeurogesX Inc. Earlier, he served as vice president of neurosciences for a large contract research organization (CRO); chief medical officer of Zogenix Inc.; franchise leader for pain conditions at Johnson & Johnson Inc.; founder, CEO and president of Synergia Pharma Inc.; and founder, CEO and president of Spectra Biomedical Inc., a startup focused on identification of genes in migraine, later acquired by GSK.
Horacio Plotkin, M.D., FAAP, joined PPD as vice president of global product development in the pediatrics and rare diseases therapeutic area and also serves as medical lead for the Rare Disease and Pediatric Center of Excellence.
Plotkin most recently served as global clinical development lead at Shire. Previously, he spent three years as chief medical officer of Retrophin, Inc., and held medical director positions at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Enobia Pharma and Genzyme Corp. He spent 20 years as a practicing pediatrician in the field of pediatric rare diseases.
Plotkin serves as adjunct associate professor of pediatrics and orthopedic surgery at the University of Nebraska School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine.