Pharmaceutical CEO to speak at Westminster

While some may groan at high drug prices or grumble at the growing collection of pills we need to keep healthy, it is indisputable some people wouldn't even be alive without the research and products of the pharmaceutical industry.
"The students and their family presumably benefit from the pharmaceutical industry at some point in their lives," said Stephen Walsh, assistant to Mark Trudeau, president and CEO of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. "Just this morning, Mallinckrodt announced a study on ALS."
Trudeau will be on Westminster College's campus on Nov. 30 to talk about "Pharmaceutical Innovation and Your Future."
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals is a multi-billion dollar company headquartered in St. Louis. Among its products are Anafranil, used to reduce the distressing effects of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Gablofen, which helps treat severe muscle spasms; and Tofranil, which relieves some types of depression.
The company's focus is on patient needs that might not be addressed elsewhere, according to a news release from Westminster College.
"Just today, we announced a study on ALS," Walsh said.
The company's drug H.P. Acthar proved a promising treatment for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in a pilot study. The next step is conducting a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study which will provide data about the drug's efficacy in controlling symptoms and slowing the disease's progression.
"Trudeau will be speaking to the students, and whatever faculty come, on the pharmaceutical industry and the kind of exciting things they're working on," Walsh said. "He'll also be talking about careers in pharma."
Trudeau has a lengthy list of qualifications, as a former CEO of Bayer AG, the former president of the pharmaceutical division of Covidien plc. and former holder of several senior offices at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Additionally, he's a trustee for the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
His talk will be at noon Nov. 30 in the Hermann Lounge.