Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> January 10, 2005
WILLIAM A. NUERGE Chief Executive Officer of Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals
has over 25 years pharmaceutical industry experience and is noted for
his high quality project management skills and his ability to identify
talent, to motivate and to lead. Bill began his career with Lafayette
Pharmaceuticals scientist. Over the 16 plus years he served with
Lafayette, Bill held several positions of increasing responsibility
culminating with the position of General Manager and Vice President of
Operations. In 1994, Bill joined Shire US (formerly Richwood
Pharmaceuticals Company, Inc.) as Chief Operating Officer. He was
promoted to President and CEO in 1998. During his tenure as President
and CEO, Shire US exhibited consistent growth and improvement. This
success culminated in 2003 with Shire US showing over $1 billion in
product sales while also achieving over $500 million in operating
profit. These results were a personal milestone for both Bill and the
company. In addition to his contribution towards the outstanding growth
and success of Shire's US business, Bill has also been a committed
supporter of industry standards and GMP compliance. He led the adoption
by Shire of the PhRMA code guidelines for interactions between health
care professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. He also initiated
the development of a Corporate Compliance program for Shire US in
accordance with guidelines established by the Office of the Inspector
General. Bill holds a Bachelor's of Science degree from Purdue
University. While at Purdue, he also completed two years postgraduate
study in Management and Business Law. In addition, Bill received his MBA
from Indiana Wesleyan University. Profile
JIM YOUNG, PhD is VP Product Development & Professional Services of
Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Dr. Young's 15 years of pharmaceutical
experience, in both large and small companies, includes drug discovery,
drug development, operations, marketing, sales, and product development.
His unique background, combining strong scientific skills with practical
sales and marketing experience, makes him ideally suited to lead
Xanodyne's market-driven product development initiatives. Most recently,
Jim was President of Drug Enhancement Company of America, LLC (DECA), a
pharmaceutical product development company. While there, he directed
pharmaceutical and medical device development efforts while building the
company from scratch. When DECA was acquired by Xanodyne, Jim was chosen
to lead Xanodyne's product development and professional services
efforts. Prior to DECA, Jim cofounded Nexeon, a pharmaceutical market
research and promotional services company, and served as President and
CEO. Prior to forming Nexeon, Jim was a Sales Director for Astra Merck
(now AstraZeneca), where he led marketing and sales efforts for a
regional office. While at Astra Merck, he served in several other roles,
including Business Manager, Marketing Manager and as a technical and
product knowledge expert for drug development and field sales. Before
Astra Merck, Jim led drug discovery efforts as a bench scientist at
Genetic MediSyn, an antisense biotechnology company. His postdoctoral
work focused on preclinical drug development at Merck Research
Laboratories, a division of Merck and Co., Inc. While there, he also
held an NIH Fellowship from the National Institute on Aging. Jim
obtained his Bachelor's of Science degree in Genetic Biology from Purdue
University and his Doctorate in Molecular Genetics from The Ohio State
University. Profile
the company and a picture of the things you are doing at the present
time?
Mr. Nuerge: Xanodyne was formed originally
