Dr. Alan W. Dunton has been named senior vice president of research and development at Stamford-based Purdue Pharma L.P., charged with setting the company’s scientific compass.
He will serve as Purdue”™s lead scientist and oversee the medical research, drug safety, clinical pharmacology, virtual discovery, project management and the company”™s pharmaceutics and analytics teams.
In a prepared statement, Purdue Pharma, which is privately held, said Dunton was founder in 2006 of Danerius LLC, a biotechnology and pharmaceutical consulting business. He led Danerius until joining Purdue Pharma this month.
Dunton previously held executive-level positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as president and CEO of Panacos Pharmaceuticals and Metaphore Pharmaceuticals. He also was the president and managing director of the Janssen Research Foundation, the research and development arm of the pharmaceuticals division of Johnson & Johnson. In his more than 33 years experience in the industry, he has been responsible for the approval of more than 20 prescription and over-the-counter products.
His duties include work with early clinical development programs and “setting the scientific direction for the company.” He will report to Purdue Pharma CEO Mark Timney.
“At a time of transformation for Purdue, Alan brings the right skills and experience to diversify and grow our portfolio,” said Timney in the Purdue Pharma statement. “We look forward to his contributions in optimizing our existing pipeline, while strengthening our presence in other therapeutic areas.”
“Purdue Pharma has a well-established record of innovation in pain medicine that makes a positive impact on patient lives,” said Dunton. “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.”
