Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> October 16, 2000
CHARLES N. BLITZER is President and Chief Executive Officer of MGI
Pharma, Inc. Prior to joining MGI, Mr. Blitzer was President and Chief
Executive Officer of Oncologix, Inc. from July 1992 to September 1995;
Corporate Vice President of Marion Merrell Dow, Inc. (formerly Marion
Laboratories, Inc.) from 1989 through 1991; Vice President of Licensing,
Marion Laboratories, Inc. from 1984 to 1989; and Director of Licensing,
Marion Laboratories, Inc. from 1980 to 1984, where Mr. Blitzer was
reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, responsible for product
licensing and acquisition. Mr. Blitzer was General and Patent Counsel of
Marion Laboratories, Inc. from 1977 to 1980; Vice President and
Corporate Counsel, INTERx Research Corp. from 1973 to 1977 and Senior
Associate, Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak from 1970 to 1973,
where he had full responsibility for the law firm's pharmaceutical
clients, which included ALZA, Johnson & Johnson, and several mid-sized
European companies. He reached partner status after three years. Mr.
Blitzer's awards include: President's Award, Marion Laboratories (1984),
one of five non-officer executives recognized for meritorious
achievement, and runner-up for the 1994 Entrepreneur of the Year award
for metropolitan Washington, DC, sponsored by Entrepreneur and Inc.
magazines. Mr. Blitzer has an MBA from Rockhurst College in Kansas City,
Missouri; a JD, Law, from American University, Washington College of
Law, Washington, DC, and a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Toledo,
Toledo, Ohio. Profile
MGI Pharma?
Mr. Blitzer: MGI Pharma actually started out in 1979 as one of the first
biotechnology agricultural companies,
