Purdue Pharma L.P. today announced the appointment of Alan W. Dunton, M.D. to the position of Senior Vice President of Research & Development (R&D) and will report to Chief Executive Officer Mark Timney. In this role, Dr. Dunton will serve as the Company's lead scientist and will oversee the Medical Research, Drug Safety, Clinical Pharmacology, Virtual Discovery, Project Management, and Pharmaceutics & Analytics teams.
"At a time of transformation for Purdue, Alan brings the right skills and experience to diversify and grow our portfolio," said Mark Timney, Chief Executive Officer, Purdue Pharma. "We look forward to his contributions in optimizing our existing pipeline, while strengthening our presence in other therapeutic areas."
Dr. Dunton will be responsible for spearheading the Company's overall scientific development strategy, including management of the pipeline, early clinical development programs, and setting the scientific direction for the company.
"Purdue Pharma has a well-established record of innovation in pain medicine that makes a positive impact on patient lives. I look forward to helping the Company continue its pioneering research in pain medicine, as well as innovative research in other areas of unmet need," said Dr. Dunton.
Dr. Dunton has devoted his 33-year career to the discovery and development of new prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug products. In 2006, he founded Danerius LLC, a biotechnology and pharmaceutical consulting business, which he led until joining Purdue. Prior to starting Danerius, Dr. Dunton held executive-level positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Panacos Pharmaceuticals and Metaphore Pharmaceuticals. He was also the President and Managing Director of the Janssen Research Foundation, the R&D arm of the pharmaceuticals division at Johnson & Johnson. During his career, Dr. Dunton has been responsible for the approval of more than 20 prescription and OTC products.
Dr. Dunton received his medical doctorate from New York University School of Medicine, where he completed his residency in internal medicine. He was a Fellow in Clinical Pharmacology at the New York Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center. Dr. Dunton is also a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and currently licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey and New York. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry, magna cum laude, from State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Dunton was awarded The Nellie Westerman Prize from the American Federation for Clinical Research for his research in medical ethics.
