GSK appoints former Novartis R&D man James Shannon

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has appointed James Shannon to be its new chief medical officer.

He takes over from Ellen Strahlman who, after four years in the post, has moved into the role of global head of neglected tropical diseases at the UK pharma company.

Shannon spent nearly 14 years heading up Novartis' global pharmaceutical development until 2008, and since then has served on the boards of a number of companies, including Mannkind, Crucell and Biotie Therapies. He also served as president and CEO of San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical company Cerimon.

In his new role at GSK he will report to the company's R&D chairman Moncef Slaoui and be based in London.

Moncef Slaoui said: “I am delighted to welcome James to GSK. Our chief medical officer is vital to the success of this organisation. As the 'voice of the patient' within GSK, James will ensure the interests of the patient are placed at the centre of research, development and commercialisation of our medicines. James' medical leadership, combined with his extensive experience of successful drug development, makes him a valuable addition to GSK.”

In his new role Shannon will have primary responsibility for matters of patient safety, general medical governance, medical ethics and integrity, medical information and investigations involving human subjects relating to any GSK product (pharmaceutical, biological and consumer healthcare medicinal products) in development and on the market.

Shannon said: “One reason I wanted to come to GSK is that the company's values so closely match my own. The commitment to quality, transparency and focus on the patient are certainly values that I can fully support and demonstrate as CMO to the benefit of patients and healthcare professionals around the world.”