Drug and Market Development

Dr. Alan Boyd is director of development at Eurogene, a company that specializes in applying its understanding of vascular genetics and endothelial molecular biology to develop gene-based treatments for diseases of the blood vessels and circulation. There is currently a great unmet need in this area for medicine: for example, in more than 60% of patients who have had heart bypass and transplant surgery the blood vessels reblock (restenosis). Other diseases that can benefit from the work of Eurogene include disease-associated weight loss (cachexia), cancers, and stroke.

Boyd’s main role is to take products from late-stage preclinical studies through to launch, and to expand the company’s drug development capability. He identifies a profile of the symptoms and pathology associated with a specific medical condition, matches these against data from ongoing research programs, and then selects priorities for further development

The research is conducted at University College in London and Kuopio University in Finland by Professor John Martin, Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala, and Stephen Barker; they are supported by a team of 16 full-time researchers and have access to the intellectual property of over 100 leading scientists. At present, Eurogene is a "virtual" company; it has no premises of its own, but it does have a number of staff working in research institutes.

In a typical month, Boyd commutes between London and Finland to assess the latest developments from the researchers. He then reviews the findings with a distinguished scientific advisory panel. Further travel is involved in visiting universities, research institutes and teaching hospitals to identify patients who are willing to participate in clinical trials. It is also Boyd’s responsibility to ensure that all the trials are carried out under controlled conditions and that the results are reliably recorded, analyzed, and reported to the relevant authorities. He is currently seeking to subcontract this work out to partners as Eurogene’s programs expand. Boyd must also appoint subcontractors to produce genes in sufficient quantities for clinical trials. Finally, he liaises with his colleagues on the board of Eurogene to help develop its business strategy.

Boyd’s role as "jack of all trades" has been made much easier by an injection of ₤15m ($22.5m) in a second round of funding led by Nomura and supported initially by Merlin. This has allowed him to broaden the research and development programs of Eurogene. He says that the growing interest in gene-based research has enabled the research team to attract the best scientists as well as to obtain additional funding.

As director of development, Boyd needs to draw on his prior experience of both pharmaceutical industry and medicine to assess the clinical potential of products. Indeed, Boyd’s career path before joining Eurogene at the end of 1999 makes interesting reading for anyone seeking to develop a career in this specialist field.

Boyd originally qualified as a doctor after studying medicine and biochemistry at Birmingham University. His decision to leave general medicine after four years and join Glaxo and then ICI/Zeneca disappointed his medical colleagues. Boyd says: "I was charged with 'selling out', but it is my belief that drug development can have beneficial life-saving effects on millions of people compared to a doctor’s caseload of 50 people at any one time."

During his time within the industry, Boyd was a clinical pharmacologist, head of cardiovascular research, and then head of medical research, having responsibility for 500–700 research staff. He is most proud of his part in the development of Zestril (lisinopril), an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor that is indicated for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart failure.

His efforts were recognized by his election as a fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians in 1996. Furthermore, his experience in reorganizing research and development (R&D) function has earned him a reputation as an accomplished practitioner of change-management. As a result, he is a guest speaker at several programs on the development of management, including one held at Ashridge College.

So why did Boyd then leave AstraZeneca, the UK’s third-largest pharmaceutical company, to join a virtual company? He explains: "I firmly believe that a focused human gene research and development program will have a fundamental impact on global health, and that a niche organization such as Eurogene, which is dedicated to these efforts, is the most effective way to achieve the results. The complete contents of the human genome have now been identified. Eurogene is already using this human gene information to develop new treatments and to find new uses for existing treatments."

Eurogene has already had some success taking this approach. Its R&D program has already identified a new application for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, and its associated proteins, which are responsible for partially blocking blood vessels. Eurogene is developing a novel system to deliver the gene locally, which has a greater effect than administering the gene systemically. Local delivery also helps minimize any unwanted side effects. Early test results suggest that this treatment offers considerable benefits to patients. Other research programs include the identification of genes and their proteins that have a beneficial effect on cancers and diseases of the eye and skin.

Despite a frantic work schedule, Boyd’s gains considerable pleasure from applying science to treat and prevent human illness, and this provides the motivation to see out the years that it can take to get a product to the patient.

This article was written by Terry Grourk, a managing partner for Personnel Resources Consultancy. It originally appeared in the August 2, 2000, issue of Pharmaceutical Business News, a sister publication of D&MD Newsletter. Both PBN and D&MD welcome suggestions for future corporate profiles in the pharmaceutical and biotech fields. Please contact us at lsavage@drugandmarket.com with your suggestions.

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