On July 1, Robert A. McDonald assumes the role of President and Chief Executive of Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH. He was formerly the consumer goods corporation’s COO, bringing with him 30 years of leadership experience in brand building, market development, and global operations. After nine years as chief executive, A.G. Lafley steps down from that position to become Chairman of the Board. Under Lafley’s aegis, sales more than doubled and P&G is now one of the five most valuable companies in the U.S. P&G Pharmaceuticals has developed and marketed a wide range of prescription drugs since the 1980s, including Actonel, Asacol, Enablex, and Ziac.

Durect, a Cupertino, CA-based pharmaceutical company specializing in pain medication, has hired Joseph Stauffer, MD, as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy. Dr. Stauffer most recently served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs at Alpharma. Prior to that, he worked at Abbott Laboratories, overseeing clinical trials, and at the FDA as a Medical Review Officer in the Analgesic Division of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals of Newport, KY, founded in 2001 and focused on women’s healthcare and pain management, named Board of Directors member Michael J. Valentino its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Valentino most recently served as President and CEO of Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, where in July 2005 he completed its initial public offering, which was ranked the #1 healthcare IPO that year by the Wall Street Journal. Last year, he led the sale of Adams to Reckitt Benckiser for $2.3 billion. Concurrently with his appointment, Xanodyne announced the completion of its equity financing for $38 million led by MPM Capital.

Flaum Communications, a healthcare marketing firm in New York City, named Pamela Pinta Director of Client Services. Pinta is the former Managing Director of Euro RSCG Life Chelsea and has professional experience in a wide range of therapeutic categories such as cardiovascular, oncology, immunology, and respiratory.

Nektar Therapeutics, a San Carlos, CA-based biopharmaceutical company, promoted Lorianne Masuoka, MD, to the position of Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Masuoka joined Nektar in August 2008 as Vice President of Clinical Development. In her new role, she will help delineate Nektar’s clinical development strategy while continuing to oversee all clinical development functions. Prior to Nektar, she worked at Five Prime Therapeutics, Chiron, and Berlex.

AssureRx, a pharmacogenetics company in Mason, OH, named James S. Burns as President and CEO. Most recently, Burns held the same titles at EntreMed, a public clinical-stage pharmaceuticals company developing drugs for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. He co-founded MedPointe Pharmaceuticals and founded Osiris Therapeutics, a developer of stem-cell products. Burns’s experience also includes work at Healthcare Ventures, Becton Dickinson, and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Astellas Pharma Global Development in Deerfield, IL, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma, announced its hiring of Peter Carberry, MD, as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Development Operations. He previously developed a global platform at Genentech and oversaw global clinical operations at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development. Betsy Garofalo, MD, joins Astellas as the Global Therapy Area Leader for the Central Nervous System. A pediatric neurologist and epileptologist, she previously held positions at Parke-Davis and Pfizer. Newly named Vice President of Compliance, Dan Dunham, will direct Astellas’s observance of federal and state regulations. His previous legal experience includes stints at Pfizer, Pharmacia, and Warner-Lambert.

Eli Lilly welcomed former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications. He reports directly to CEO John C. Lechleiter, PhD. A significant responsibility for Peterson will be the company’s interactions with the public health sector and other payers worldwide.

Vox Medica, a Philadelphia-based healthcare communications company, announced the additions of Lorna Weir and Donald Brogan. Formerly the President of Dudnyk, Weir joins as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Strategist.

In this newly created position, she will help clients discover brand-building opportunities, overseeing the company’s PEER proprietary method. Brogan returns to Vox as Senior Vice President and Practice Leader of Education and Adult Learning. Brogan will lead the training, promotional education, and event practitioner efforts. His most recent post was Vice President and Director of Jack Morton Healthcare.

Campbell Alliance, a management consulting firm in Raleigh, NC, specializing in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, added two new Executive Vice Presidents, Jon W. McGarity and David Lilley. Both men will focus on enhancing relationships with chief executives in client companies, aiding and advising them in highly strategic challenges. McGarity has held senior management positions at GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Novartis (formerly Sandoz). Lilley has served in executive positions at Johnson & Johnson, Innovex, Quintiles Transnational, and NovaQuest.

Association of Medical Media, a New Jersey-based organization of medical publishing firms, has named Dennis Johnson its new Director of Operations. Johnson has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience with a record of developing new revenue streams via sponsorship, medical education, and educational grants.

HLS, CommonHealth’s medical education unit in Parsippany, NJ, has promoted Michael Pucci, MD, from Medical Director to Senior Medical Director. He will supervise all medical affairs and the writing for his assigned brand teams. Jonathan Kamien, MD, joins the company, also in the position of Senior Medical Director, overseeing new business initiatives, including medical content development. Dr. Kamien was previously employed as a Scientific Director at SynerMed.
—Andrew Matthius