Drug Discovery Priority Group Annual Lecture and Overview
2.00pm: Introduction and overview to the Drug Discovery Priority Group. Announcement of Drug Discovery Priority Group funding competition for 2012-2013 Professor Steve Hill, School of Biomedical Sciences
2.30pm: Annual Lecture: "Discovery of Brilinta - daring to be different"
Dr John Dixon
3.30pm: Tea/Coffee and Networking
4.30pm: Close
John Dixon has 36 years experience in industrial Pharmaceutical Research & Development in several therapeutic areas. He was Head of Medicinal Chemistry for 20 years at Fisons, Vice President of Preclinical R&D in Astra Charnwood for 4 years and Vice President of Drug Discovery at AstraZeneca Charnwood for 9 years in charge of up to 450 scientific staff.
During this overall period, 7 Charnwood drugs reached Phase III and he is an inventor of 2 of these. As VP of AstraZeneca Charnwood he delivered 35 candidate drugs, mainly in the respiratory area, several of which are in full clinical development. Brilinta, a potential blockbuster for thrombotic disorders, achieved marketing approval in Europe and final FDA approval on 20th July 2011.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Member of the American Chemical Society he served on several professional and academic advisory committees and was awarded an honorary DSc from Loughborough University in 2004 “for meritorious services to science and the community.”
He retired from AstraZeneca in July 2008 and is now Director of JD International Consulting Ltd. His consultancies cover most aspects of Drug Discovery and Early Development in most therapy areas and in all types of organisations in 10 different countries.