Purdue Pharma L.P. Names Dr. John Renger as Vice President, Head of Research & Development and Regulatory Affairs
In his new role, Dr. Renger will serve as the company’s lead scientist and oversee the Medical Research, Clinical Pharmacology, Virtual Discovery, Regulatory Affairs, Project Management, and Pharmaceutics and Analytics teams. He will be responsible for the company’s overall scientific direction and development strategy, including managing the pipeline and early clinical development programs.
“With his deep expertise in neuroscience drug development and robust professional experience, John will lead us as we continue our research in pain medicine and advance our focus across a number of therapeutic areas to diversify our business,” said Craig Landau, MD, President and CEO, Purdue Pharma.
Dr. Renger brings more than eighteen years of cumulative pharmaceutical experience, with a focus on neuroscience, to Purdue, where he has held the position of Head of Clinical Research and Translational Medicine for the past two years. Over the course of his career, he has led teams to successfully advance more than 30 preclinical candidate molecules across multiple CNS disease areas including Alzheimer’s disease, adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), motor symptoms of essential tremor, schizophrenia, tauopathies and chronic insomnia.
Dr. Renger joined Purdue following an extensive career with Merck Research Laboratories where he led a translational medicine group in Neuroscience. In this role, he initiated the creation of a translational EEG sleep research lab that was critical to the discovery, development and FDA/PMDA approvals of the dual orexin receptor antagonist Belsomra® (suvorexant) for the treatment of insomnia. Prior to joining Merck, he was a Merck-MIT Fellow at the Center for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology where is work centered on understanding the genetic, developmental and neurophysiological basis of memory-related changes in the brain. Before MIT, he worked at the Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, Japan. Dr. Renger earned his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Iowa and his doctorate from the same institution.
Dr. Renger succeeds Alan W. Dunton, MD, who previously served for three years as Senior Vice President, Research & Development and Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Dunton will continue working with the company in a consulting capacity.
ABOUT PURDUE PHARMA L.P.
Purdue Pharma L.P. is a privately-held pharmaceutical company headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Purdue Pharma is part of a network of independent associated companies dedicated to providing patients and providers with innovative medicines. The company’s leadership and employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers by providing quality products and educational resources that make a positive impact on healthcare — and on lives. For more information, please visit www.purduepharma.com.