Two senior Wyeth Pharmaceutical researchers recently held doctors forums in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to discuss new drug research during a visit that reinforced the company’s commitment to the region and to growing Wyeth’s presence in the important Middle East and North Africa market.
Dr. Frank S. Walsh, PhD FmedSci Executive Vice President, Discovery Research Worldwide, and Dr. Magid Abou-Gharbia, PhD Senior Vice President & Head, Chemical and Screening Sciences, participated in Wyeth’s “Innovation Pathways to a Healthier World Forum” held in Dubai and Cairo to give local doctors insight into the latest drug research.
“Healthcare consumers in the Middle East are becoming increasingly sophisticated about the quality of the medicines given to all members of the family. Dr. Walsh and Dr. Abou-Gharbia showed doctors how a global pharmaceutical company such as Wyeth commits as much as US$1 billion and 15 years to developing safe and effective product that meets the world’s medical needs,” said Dr. Frank S. Walsh, PhD FmedSci Executive Vice President, Discovery Research Worldwide, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Wyeth Pharmaceutical, which began its legacy of innovation in the 1860s, has been in the region for more than 20 years and is committed to enhancing health by constantly innovating its products through a substantial commitment to technology, research and development.
“The Middle East and North Africa is one of our largest markets and continues to grow. By bringing these senior researchers to the region, we show Wyeth’s commitment to our consumers and to ensuring they benefit from our industry-leading research laboratories and scientists,” Joe W. Henein Managing Director Wyeth Pharmaceuticals MENA.
Frank, currently chief editor of the journal “Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience”, serves on a number of advisory boards including those of the UK Medical Research Council’s Centre for Developmental Neurobiology; the ALS Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA; the UK Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, and the CEO Council of the New York Academy of Sciences
Under Abou-Gharbia’s leadership, Wyeth Medicinal Chemistry has discovered three marketed drugs and many compounds currently under clinical evaluation. He has contributed to more than 150 invited lectures, presentations and publications and participated in the invention of 95 US-issued patents and over 300 patents worldwide.
Since its founding in the 1860s as a small drugstore, Wyeth has been a leader in innovation. Among its innovations over the centuries are the development of the “compressed pill,” or tablet; the first soluble gelatin capsules; the development of a heat-stable, freeze-dried vaccine and the bifurcated needle, which helped lead to the worldwide eradication of smallpox, and the first serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor for effective treatment of depression.
Today, the people of Wyeth are united in a common mission with shared values to achieve their vision: to become the world’s best pharmaceutical company.
