Tarek Samad will join Lundbeck on 1 May 2021 as Senior Vice President, Head of Research.
Samad will play a key role in Lundbeck’s ambition to have a premier neuroscience pipeline and to continue the transformation towards a focus on helping people living with niche and rare brain diseases, the company states.
“I am pleased to welcome Tarek to Lundbeck. His broad experience combined with our strong research organization and heritage within brain diseases will drive innovation and bring transformative medicines into clinical development, helping us to create a premier neuroscience pipeline and towards becoming number one in brain health,” says Johan Luthman, Executive Vice President for Research & Development.
Tarek Samad
Samad brings experience in drug development from academia and industry, including Louis Pasteur University, Harvard Medical School, Pfizer, and Sanofi. He has led discovery of small molecules and biopharmaceuticals in neuroscience and inflammation for both disease-modifying and symptomatic approaches.
His research has been focused on studying changes of the nervous system and their implications across a wide range of neurological disorders including neurodegenerative diseases, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, acute neurology, and pain. He has led several preclinical and clinical programs, as well as managed sites and teams across disciplines and geographical locations.
Samad was born in Lebanon and obtained his formative academic training in France. He joins Lundbeck from Immunitas Therapeutics in the U.S., where he was most recently Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Samad will relocate to Denmark for the role at Lundbeck.
“Lundbeck is pursuing some of the most innovative therapeutic opportunities within brain science, and I look forward to being part of that,” says Tarek Samad. “Lundbeck has a great history of discovering innovative drug candidates and bringing them to serve patients who live with brain diseases. I am thrilled to be able to build on Lundbeck’s strong heritage in neuroscience.”
Photo of Tarek Samad: Lundbeck
