Former Amgen EVP Roger Perlmutter joins Heptares board

Heptares has appointed Amgen's former executive VP, R&D, Dr Roger Perlmutter, to its board of directors.

UK-based Heptares, which focuses on researching medicines that target G protein-coupled receptors across a range of conditions, has made several deals recently with large pharma companies, including AstraZeneca and Shire, and is looking to Dr Perlmutter to help ensure their success.

“We are delighted to welcome Roger to our Board and look forward to benefiting from his extensive US, big biotech and big pharma experience as Heptares advances its pipeline into clinical development,” said John Berriman, Heptares' chair.

Dr Perlmutter served in his executive VP position at Amgen from 2001 to 2012 following a spell at Merck & Co where he was executive VP of worldwide basic research and preclinical development.

Prior to joining Merck in 1997, he was professor and sounding chair of the department of immunology at the University of Washington in Seattle, US.

Dr Perlmutter said: “Heptares has pioneered structure determination in GPCRs, and has used this information to develop leading therapeutic candidates in metabolic and neuropsychiatric disease.

“I am eager to help Malcolm Weir and his team translate these impressive assets into novel therapeutics that will make a difference for patients around the world.”