MDZ Mds

Dr. Robert Butz Named VP of Global Regulatory Affairs for MDS Pharma Services MONTREAL, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has named Robert Butz, Ph.D., as vice president, Global Regulatory Affairs. Based at the company's offices in King of Prussia, Penn., Dr. Butz will have responsibility for expanding and enhancing the company's global regulatory affairs services. "Regulatory affairs is an area of key strategic importance for us, based on our in-depth analysis of where the market is headed," said Doug Squires, president and CEO. "As drug development moves towards personalized medicine, and medical device manufacturers increasingly combine their products with a drug or biologic, more and more clients are turning to us for our regulatory expertise. Biotechnology companies, in particular, need significant support to navigate an unfamiliar regulatory environment." Squires added that MDS Pharma Services' renewed focus on regulatory affairs is also important to its Drug Development Programs group, which now includes regulatory affairs as part of its integrated services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients worldwide. Drug Development Programs incorporates a focused group of senior scientific consultants who are responsible for driving implementation of each client's drug development plan. Dr. Butz has nearly 30 years of management and drug development experience, including regulatory affairs, in the pharmaceutical, contract research and biotech industries. His background includes leadership positions with Burroughs Wellcome Co. and Quintiles, as well as the co-founding of several biotech companies in recent years. He earned his doctorate in Physiology and Pharmacology at Duke University. MDS Pharma Services offers a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, the company applies advanced scientific and technological expertise to each stage of the drug discovery and development process -- early stage: lead optimization, pre-IND research, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical development, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis; and late stage: global clinical development (phases IIb-IV) and central lab. For more information, visit MDS Pharma Services' Web site at http://www.mdsps.com/ . MDS Pharma Services is part of MDS Inc. (TSE:MDS)(NYSE:MDZ), an international health and life sciences company. In many of its products and services, it is among the largest and most respected companies in the world. MDS's focus is on advancing health through science. It does this by providing: laboratory testing, imaging agents for nuclear medicine testing, sterilization systems for medical and consumer products, research services to speed discovery and development of new drugs, therapy systems for planning and delivery of cancer treatment, analytical instruments to assist in the development of new drugs, and medical/surgical supplies. MDS employs nearly 11,000 highly skilled people at its global operations on five continents. Detailed information about the company is available at the MDS Web site at http://www.mdsintl.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Pharma Services CONTACT: Kevin Langin of MDS Pharma Services, +1-402-476-2811 Web site: http://www.mdsintl.com/ http://www.mdsps.com/

Copyright