GW Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapeutics from cannabis, has appointed Kenneth Sommerville to the newly created position of VP, Clinical Science, based in the US.
Dr Sommerville will play an important role in the clinical development, medical affairs, and regulatory activities related to the company’s epilepsy programmes, including the ongoing development of Epidiolex, GW’s product candidate for Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. He will also support the late stages of the completion of the investigational plan for Sativex in cancer pain.
He joins GW with 23 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He has held senior roles at UCB/Schwarz Pharma where he led clinical and regulatory programmes in epilepsy and other neurological product development initiatives. Most recently, Sommerville was Vice President of Clinical Sciences at Pfizer, where he was Global Clinical Lead for opioids and led a team in the development of abuse-deterrent opioids.
'This is an exciting time to be joining GW, with a number of important products currently under development for patients in the US including Sativex and Epidiolex,' he said.
'Specifically, I believe that Epidiolex has the potential to become an important new therapeutic option for children suffering with intractable epilepsy, an area of significant unmet need.'