Edward Schnipper

Ed is a widely recognized expert in innovative design and management of clinical trials. Ed was responsible for many of the concepts embodied in VPD. He is particularly skilled at clinical trials designed to determine quickly and cheaply whether a drug is safe and effective. He demonstrated this ability as Vice President, Clinical Development, at ALZA Corporation from 1997 to 2001, where he played a leading role in the development and FDA approval of four of ALZA's drug candidates as well as numerous other clinical programs.

The approval and market success of these drugs was a key factor in Johnson & Johnson's $12.3 billion acquisition of ALZA in 2001. Ed began his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Hoffman-La Roche as an Assistant Medical Director and rose to the level of Vice President. As Section Head of Oncology for the U.S., he led several projects and two FDA drug approvals, one for alpha interferon (Roferon) and one for all trans retinoic acid (Vesanoid), which became the new standard of care for acute promyelocytic leukemia. Ed was also involved in evaluating acquisitions, which allowed him to develop a great perspective regarding the needs of the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, he ran the clinical training. Ed provided leadership to the virology department in the approval process for Saquinavir, which at the time represented the first of a new class of drugs (protease inhibitors) for the treatment of AIDS. Prior to Hoffman-LaRoche, Ed also practiced medical oncology in both the academic and private practice settings.

After the acquisition of ALZA, Ed served as President and CEO of Cellgate, a company developing novel anti-proliferative drugs to combat disease, where he raised over $50 million in venture capital. He also served as Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer of Novacea, a biopharmaceutical company focused on in-licensing, developing and commercializing novel therapies for the treatment of cancer.

Ed received his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed a Hematology fellowship at New York University School of Medicine and an Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.