Purdue Pharma LP has hired Julie Ducharme has its new chief scientific officer and vice president.
According to the Stamford-based company, Ducharme will be responsible for ongoing product development and identifying new research opportunities and ventures across multiple therapeutic areas. She will also support the company”™s ongoing efforts to combat the opioid addiction crisis; Purdue Pharma is facing nearly 2,000 lawsuits that allege it exacerbated the crisis through the marketing of its OxyContin product line.
Ducharme previously worked at Purdue Pharma as vice president of research and development before joining Mundipharma in 2015 as managing director for research and development. The Sackler family, which runs the privately-owned Purdue Pharma, controls Mundipharma through trusts and other investment vehicles. Her career also includes a three-year tenure as general manager for human health therapeutics at National Research Council Canada and 15 years at AstraZeneca in various leadership roles. She is also an adjunct professor in pharmacy at the University of Montreal.
“Dr. Ducharme will be instrumental in helping us to advance and translate science to help address unmet patient needs across our diverse existing pipeline and in new research collaborations and projects,” said Craig Landau, president and CEO and Purdue Pharma. “She brings extensive international pharmaceutical industry experience in discovery, development and research throughout product lifecycle and across multiple therapeutic areas.”
