Utpal will join the executive team to lead discovery research and translational sciences at Zealand Pharma.

“His leadership in design and discovery of life-changing medicines will be instrumental in our mission to develop enduring therapies for patients,” says Adam Steensberg, Chief Executive Officer, Zealand Pharma.

Utpal Singh

Utpal Singh brings nearly 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience spanning the full drug discovery and development lifecycle, describes the company. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Small Molecule Discovery at Eli Lilly and Company, where he led the transformation of the discovery engine by building new capabilities and strategic partnerships to advance a focused portfolio. His team contributed to the discovery of numerous clinical candidates across multiple therapeutic areas.

Utpal began his pharmaceutical career in 2001 with Merck & Co following completion of a postdoctoral fellowship in organic chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a BS in chemical engineering from Purdue University.

“The recent advances in data science and machine learning integrated with Zealand Pharma’s exceptional peptide discovery and translational expertise can create a powerful engine for drug discovery. Our ambitions are backed by the deep expertise and financial capital needed to drive transformative ideas that address critical patient needs. It’s a great time to invest in discovery research, and I’m eager to collaborate with this world-class team to develop medicines that could reshape the future of obesity and more,” says Utpal Singh, newly appointed Chief Scientific Officer at Zealand Pharma.