Dr. Ross Tonkens will lead medical affairs and provide consultation to
clients
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has hired Ross Tonkens, MD, to provide medical oversight for its Phase IIa clinical research activities and to direct the medical and clinical activities of its Development & Regulatory Services line of business. As Vice President - Medical Affairs, Dr. Tonkens will design clinical study protocols, provide medical consultation to clients, and chair the company’s Development & Regulatory Services Medical Advisory board. In addition, Dr. Tonkens will represent MDS Pharma Services and serve as the 2008 Chair of the Ethics & Clinical Practice Committee of ACRO, the Association of Clinical Research Organizations.
“Medical oversight is critically important to participant safety in all stages of drug development, and particularly during clinical proof of concept studies, which are conducted with patients who have the disease state targeted by the experimental drug,” said MDS Pharma Services President David Spaight. “We’re proud to offer our clients access to the caliber of medical expertise possessed by Dr. Tonkens. His experience spans academia, biotechnology and the contract research organization industry.”
Prior to joining MDS, Dr. Tonkens was Chief Medical Officer of Regado Biosciences, a Duke University biotechnology spin-off, and was Global Head of Cardiovascular Therapeutics at Quintiles, Inc., a contract research organization. A graduate of Yale College and Yale Medical School, Dr. Tonkens practiced invasive cardiology in Beverly Hills, and was Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA and the University of Nevada. Dr. Tonkens later founded his own clinical research center and served as principal investigator in more than 40 clinical trials in areas ranging from cardiology, pulmonary disease, peripheral vascular disease and critical care to infectious disease, gastroenterology, pain management and vaccine development.
About MDS Pharma Services
MDS Pharma Services is committed to delivering quality service on time. We offer a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, we apply advanced scientific and technological expertise throughout the drug discovery and development process - from lead optimization, pre-IND research, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis through to global clinical development (phases IIb-IV), central lab and centralized cardiac services. For more information, visit our website at www.mdsps.com.
MDS Pharma Services is a business unit of MDS Inc. , a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,500 highly skilled people in 29 countries. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.
CONTACT: For Investors: Kim Lee, (416) 675-6777 ext. 34721,
kim.lee@mdsinc.com; For Media: Charlene McGrady, (610) 239-7900 ext. 231,
charlene.mcgrady@mdsinc.com
