Date: 2015-08-25
Type of information: Nomination
Compound:
Company: Acucela (USA - MA)
Therapeutic area: Ophtalmological diseases
Type agreement: nomination
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Disease:
Details: * On August 25, 2015, Acucela, a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specializes in discovering and developing novel drug candidates to potentially treat and slow the progression of sight-threatening ophthalmic diseases, announced that it has hired Dr. George Lasezkay as Executive Vice President, Legal Affairs, effective Aug. 24. Dr. Lasezkay will head up Acucela’s legal team and be the primary legal advisor to CEO Ryo Kubota and the rest of the Acucela Executive Team. He will manage all aspects of the Company’s legal matters, including legal aspects of the Company’s strategic partnerships and alliances, risk management and compliance. He will also actively contribute to the development and execution of corporate alliance strategy as part of the Executive Team. Dr. Lasezkay comes to Acucela after serving 12 years as president of HorizonPharma Group, a consultancy practice that advises life sciences companies on corporate strategy, strategic partnerships and business development. He has also served on the boards of a number of U.S. and European biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, both public and private, including several focused on ophthalmic diseases. He currently is an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law. Dr. Lasezkay had a 13-year career at Allergan, the global pharmaceutical and medical aesthetics company, including seven years in its legal department, last serving as its Assistant General Counsel, and then six years as the head of Allergan’s Corporate Development group and a member of the Allergan Executive Management Committee. He participated in, and supervised, the negotiation of more than 60 acquisitions, alliances and other collaborations, including an instrumental role in structuring the Allergan Ligand Retinoid Therapeutics joint venture that won the Recombinant Capital Breakthrough Biotechnology Alliance award in 1997. Dr. Lasezkay earned B.S. Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his law degree from the University of Southern California. He also earned a certificate in alternative dispute resolution from the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution of the Pepperdine University School of Law.
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