The People of OyaGen
Dr. Richard C. Ogden, Executive VP for Strategic Development
Since leaving Pfizer in April 2006, Dr. Ogden co-founded RORR Inc., a Medical, Scientific Consulting and Education company with current US and European-based clients. Areas of corporate focus include:
• viral infectious diseases (HIV, Hepatitis C, Respiratory viruses)
• strategic planning for clinical research programs
• product development in the antiviral and oncology therapeutic areas
• biological product development in the analytical reagents and tools area
• manufacturing and engineering liaison
• intellectual property consultancy
• technology feasibility assessment
• legal consultancy
• continuing medical education and scientific education for professionals and non-scientists.
• fund raising on behalf of new biotechnology companies. Clients include new pharmaceutical companies developing novel HIV and HCV drugs and the International Aids society.
He joined Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc
. as a founding scientist at its inception in 1984, where he held positions of Group Leader of Medicinal Chemistry, Principal Scientist, and Senior Director of Scientific Development. He was a team member in the HIV project which led to the discovery and development of Nelfinavir (Viracept®). Responsibilities in Scientific Development included presenting Agouron R&D activities to potential corporate partners and investors, assessing technology and compound acquisitions, organizing the process by which new drug targets were selected and projects initiated, and communicating research and clinical activities to clinicians, other healthcare providers and patient groups.
He served as the scientific liaison for the Agouron/Pfizer commercial and corporate organizations following the merger with Pfizer, and his principal responsibilities have included assisting in the continued support of the protease inhibitor Nelfinavir, by providing medical education, including CME certified presentations, within the HIV/AIDS clinical and patient communities, and in the evaluation of proposals for post marketing clinical research in the HIV/AIDS area. He also supported the pre-marketing activities for many clinical agents in the HIV/AIDS and oncology therapeutic areas. With Pfizer, he had an additional opportunity to work with the Pfizer Foundation in its support of the Academic Alliance and its efforts in Uganda, and with Corporate Philanthropy, in its support of the World Economic Forum and the Global Business Council. He also had the opportunity to advise and brief the CEO, Hank McKinnell, during his membership of the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV/AIDS. He served with both Agouron and Pfizer as the representative on the International AIDS Society Industry Liaison Forum. In addition to numerous publications, he is co-editor, with Charles Flexner, on a book on Protease Inhibitors in AIDS Therapy and with Gail Skowron, on a book on Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors in AIDS Therapy.
He received his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and doctorate in synthetic organic chemistry with Dr. Dan Brown at Cambridge University. His academic career started with postdoctoral research studying RNA transcription and processing at the University of California, San Diego in the laboratory of Professor John Abelson, following which he undertook independent research, funded by the National Science Foundation, in the area of protein and RNA structure-function relationships at the University of California, San Diego and the Agouron Institute.