Clinilabs (“Clinilabs LLC”), a global, full-service contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in central nervous system (CNS) drug and device development, today announced the appointments of Bob Dagher, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Waqar Ahmed Siddiqui, M.D., as Principal Investigator of the Company’s Eatontown, New Jersey Clinical Research Unit (CRU).
Dr. Dagher will provide strategic and medical leadership across the organisation, while Dr. Siddiqui will lead the execution of research projects at the Company’s CRU. Together, they will support the design, development, and execution of clinical programmes for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device sponsors advancing innovative therapies for psychiatric, neurological, substance use, and rare CNS disorders.
“Clinilabs has earned the trust of sponsors by combining deep scientific expertise, medical leadership, and operational excellence with a track record of execution from first-in-human studies through regulatory approval,” said Eileen McAuley, Chief Operating Officer of Clinilabs. “Drs. Dagher and Siddiqui bring highly complementary experience spanning every stage of the clinical development process — from strategic drug development and regulatory leadership to hands-on clinical research and patient care. Their appointments further strengthen our ability to guide sponsors through increasingly complex development programmes while supporting the delivery of new therapies to patients with unmet medical needs.”
Dr. Bob Dagher – Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Dagher joins Clinilabs with more than 20 years of executive leadership spanning clinical development, medical affairs, and regulatory strategy across neuropsychiatry, neuroimmunology, and rare diseases. He has served as Chief Medical Officer for four biotechnology companies, leading development programmes from first-in-human studies through Phase 3 clinical trials, and biologics licence application (BLA) submissions across mood disorders, psychotic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and rare CNS disorders.
Dr. Waqar Ahmed Siddiqui – Principal Investigator
Dr. Siddiqui joins Clinilabs as Principal Investigator following a distinguished career in psychiatry, behavioural health leadership, and clinical research. A board-certified psychiatrist and accomplished principal investigator, he has led numerous clinical trials evaluating therapies for psychiatric, neurological, and musculoskeletal disorders while overseeing major behavioural health organisations. Most recently, he served as Clinical Director and Chief Medical Officer of South Beach State Psychiatric Hospital in New York City. Previously, he served as Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Hoboken University Medical Center and as Medical Director of the Behavioral Health Center at JFK Medical Center in New Jersey.
The appointments reflect Clinilabs’ continued commitment to investing in the medical and scientific leadership needed to help sponsors more efficiently bring innovative CNS therapies to patients.
