Congratulations to Lilly on the recent appointment of AZ’s chief of discovery Dr Jan Lundberg.
In my opinion Dr Jan Lundberg is one of those legendary scientific superstars, who starts a project with the end in mind and who carries out much of his work based on high quality science, both basic and clinical. Â Dr Lundberg has been drug discovery chief at AstraZeneca for the last 10 years and is moving to lead R&D for Lilly, which can only mean great things for the future of the Indianapolis drug maker.
Eli Lilly announced that Jan Lundberg is to become executive vice president, science and technology, and president, Lilly Research Laboratories, replacing Steven Paul who retires at the end of February 2010.
Dr Lundberg is one of a few long standing industry experts that has built his reputation, somewhat un-intentionally and modestly, through a consistent approach to delivering strategy, insight and direction to some of the industry’s most challenging hurdles. Dr Lundberg has embraced new technology, new discovery techniques and has led key business deals to seek out and discover molecules with the most potential to reach the market, making a difference to future therapeutics.
Who knows what Lilly will move into or advance with next? The strategic fit is obvious, with Lilly long being one of the industry’s front runners as the ‘partner of choice’, with a central focus on innovation and an open approach to accessing it, be it through in-house discovery or in-licensing. Dr Lundberg shares a drive and courage to seek out and harness innovation, having struck deals with direct competitors Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck for example, with a view to finding lead compounds with the potential to go all the way to market.
One thing is certain; Dr Lundberg will be greatly missed by the Stockholm/Uppsala biomedical cluster, which contributes more than any other Swedish region to the nation’s international reputation. Dr Lundberg has been a prominent feature in the positive growth and strengthening of AstraZeneca’s commercial and scientific achievements which has in turn, elevated Sweden’s position on a global scale as a lead player in scientific innovation and expertise.
Congratulations Lilly, for netting a terrific catch.
Good luck Dr Lundberg, I look forward to following your future successes.
Watch this space…
Tags: AstraZeneca, BristolMyersSquibb, Eli Lilly, health, Jan Lundberg, Merck, pharma, Steven Paul
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