SAN DIEGO, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. today announced the appointment of Chris O’Brien, M.D. to the position of Senior Vice President of Clinical Development. In this position, Dr. O’Brien will be responsible for leading Neurocrine’s Clinical Development efforts with five compounds currently in clinical trials and three new compounds expected to enter the clinic within the next year.
Dr. O’Brien most recently held positions at Elan Pharmaceuticals and Prestwick Pharmaceuticals where he managed the clinical development, registration and post-marketing trials in neurology, pain, and autoimmune diseases, among other CNS indications. Prior to joining his pharmaceutical industry experience, Dr. O’Brien also served as Medical Director for over nine years with The Colorado Neurology Institute in Denver and simultaneously served as Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Columbia Swedish Medical Center and Medical Director of the National Parkinson’s Foundation of Excellence. Dr. O’Brien earned his B.A. from Boston University and M.D. from the University of Minnesota.
“Chris’ experience and expertise in clinical trial and product development as well as his focus on neurological diseases will be a valuable asset as we build our commercial product portfolio and expand our pipeline. I look forward to working with Chris in advancing our R&D pipeline and support Neurocrine’s growth as we move into commercialization,” said Wendell Wierenga, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of R&D for Neurocrine Biosciences.
Under his employment agreement, Dr. O’Brien received 55,000 options as part of an employment commencement option agreement. The options were granted outside of the Company’s stockholder approved option plan in accordance with NASDAQ rules and will vest over a four-year period.
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. is a product-based biopharmaceutical company focused on neurological and endocrine diseases and disorders. Our product candidates address some of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world including insomnia, anxiety, depression, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorders, pain, and autoimmunity. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. news releases are available through the Company’s website via the Internet at http://www.neurocrine.com
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Foster or Claudia Woodworth, both of NeurocrineBiosciences, Inc., +1-858-617-7600
Web site: http://www.neurocrine.com//