Oxford Pharmascience sets up Scientific Advisory Board
By John Harrington

August 02 2013, 1:18pm Professor Dawson is chairman of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a visiting professor at the UCL School of Pharmacy. He is also a member of the Expert Panel advising the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.Professor Dawson is chairman of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a visiting professor at the UCL School of Pharmacy. He is also a member of the Expert Panel advising the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.
Medicines reformulation specialist Oxford Pharmascience (LON:OXP) is setting up what it describes as a “world class” Scientific Advisory Board to support its development programme.
Marcelo Bravo, chief technology officer of Oxford Pharmascience, will be on the Scientific Advisory Board, as will a number of independent experts, starting with Professor Bill Dawson, a former leading light at US pharmaceuticals giant Eli Lilly.
Professor Dawson retired from Eli Lilly in 1996 after 27 years where he was director of Research for 14 years. During his time at the US pharmaceuticals company he took 15 compounds into development, two of which reached the market.
He is currently a non-executive director of Proteome Sciences plc, and Antitope Ltd as well as a member of a number of corporate Scientific Advisory Boards.
Further appointments to this team of experts will be made in the coming months. The idea is for the board to have a broad range of skills, experiences and fields of expertise, extending beyond the world of science into areas such as technology.
Oxford Pharmascience said the Scientific Advisory Board will report periodically to the Oxford Pharma board on matters relating to the investment in the company's research and development and technology initiatives. The Scientific Advisory Board may also suggest specialist advisers and work closely with them to help progress elements of the company's business.
"The establishment of a world class Scientific Advisory Board to guide the company's development programme will help us accelerate progress into specific medicine development programmes,” Bravo explained.
“Professor Dawson's experience in the design, selection and progression of new medicines through optimal R&D [research & development] programmes is invaluable as we enter a new stage as a company,” he added.
The creation of this brains trust follows a week after the drug delivery specialist extended and deepened its collaboration with the University College London (UCL) and the university's well-regarded Phloral technology.
The deal gave Oxford Pharma first dibs on 53 compounds that it could commercialise using the university’s know-how.
“All of the compounds are on the market. A good chunk of them are already generic, and some are coming off-patent very soon,” Oxford Pharmascience chief executive Nigel Theobald revealed to Proactive Investors last week.
In keeping with Oxford Pharmascience's normal strategy, the company will be looking to see if it can reformulate the compounds, making them more effective and therefore suitable for commercial release.