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Purdue Gets Assistance on Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
It will offer guidance to support the institute’s efforts to innovate and advance pharmaceutical manufacturing.
2 Min Read
A new council will assist the University's Advanced Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals Institute innovate in the industry.Image courtesy of Smederevac / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
The William D. and Sherry L. Young Advanced Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals Institute at Purdue University has appointed a new advisory council to provide strategic guidance to support the institute’s efforts to innovate and advance pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The council’s five members bring expertise, business acumen, regulatory perspectives, and technical skills to the institute’s mission to improve pharmaceutical manufacturing through research and workforce training. The Young Institute was established in 2022 as part of a $250 million investment in the life sciences at Purdue — a priority within the Purdue Moves initiatives, the university’s strategic plan.
“By enabling the onshoring of pharmaceutical production, improving efficiency and reducing the cost of pharmaceutical manufacturing, we aim to ensure that all US citizens have access to critical medicines,” said Elizabeth Topp, director of the Young Institute and professor in the Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics and the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering.
The new advisors are:
Robert A. Baffi, president and founder of Baffi Biotech Advisors, a venture partner at Samsara BioCapital, and former president of global manufacturing and technical operations for BioMarin Pharmaceutical for 23 years. He also is co-author of the book, “Making a Habit of Quality: How Technical Operations Paved the Way for BioMarin’s Success.”
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., the 12th president of Purdue University and 49th governor of Indiana, who also served as director of the US Office of Management and Budget in the George W. Bush administration. Earlier, he held two positions with Eli Lilly and Co. — president of North American operations and senior vice president for corporate strategy and policy.
Michael A. Klobuchar, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Merck & Co., who leads the company’s strategy, business development and information technology efforts and global priorities. He earlier served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Merck Research Laboratories and led its Global Portfolio and Alliance Management group, among other roles at the company.
Moheb M. Nasr, principal with Nasr Pharma Regulatory Consulting, who previously served as vice president of chemistry, manufacturing, controls and regulatory strategy for GlaxoSmithKline and as director of the Office of New Drug Quality Assessment for the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
William D. Young, whose significant contribution established the Purdue Institute named for him and his wife in June 2022, is a senior advisor for Blackstone Life Sciences. He also is chairman of NanoString Technologies and a board member of Praxis Precision Medicines and Autolus Therapeutics. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his contributions to biotechnology.
The Young Institute's efforts to improve drug manufacturing are intended to address the pharmaceutical industry’s longstanding practice of investing primarily in drug discovery and less in new and economical methods of drug manufacturing. By developing new efficiencies for drug manufacturing, the institute intends to contribute to reduced pharmaceutical prices for consumers.
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