Neil Solomons
Chief Medical Officer
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals
Canada
Biography
Neil co-founded privately-held Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in 2012. He is an experienced pharmaceutical physician with 18 years of clinical development and medical affairs experience in both large pharma and biotech. He is a recognized expert in rare-disease drug development and is widely published in this field. Neil joined Aurinia from Vifor Pharma, formerly Aspreva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ASPV) where he held the position of Vice President, Research and Development, being the lead clinician in the development of CellCept® in rare diseases. Neil led the CellCept Clinical Development teams of over 50 people that saw the completion, reporting, and publication of studies in pemphigus vulgaris and myasthenia gravis (both industry firsts), and the successful landmark lupus nephritis study called the Aspreva Lupus Management Study (ALMS). He was responsible for all clinical development activities from Phases 1 to 3, as well as participating in the formulation of R&D strategy, portfolio management, and due diligence efforts. Prior to Vifor & Aspreva, Neil held a variety of positions at Roche in both Global Clinical Development and Medical Affairs in transplantation, virology, and auto-immune diseases. While at Roche, Mr. Solomons led a diverse team in the development and implementation of post-marketing studies with a budget exceeding $15 million for its transplantation (CellCept® and Zenapax®) and virology (Cytovene®) franchises. Neil qualified in medicine in 1991 receiving his MB BS (MD) at Guys Hospital Medical School, London. He subsequently worked as a physician in London UK, completing specialist training in anesthesia and intensive care. His research interests included sepsis and chronic pain.
Research Interest
Pharmaceutical Sciences