Dr. Scott Whitcup joins Questcor board

Anaheim, CA-Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. has appointed Scott M. Whitcup, MD, to its board of directors.

Dr. Whitcup currently is executive vice president of research and development and chief scientific officer at Allergan Inc. In that position, he is responsible for leading the company’s global research and development organization, including medical affairs, drug discovery, medical device research, and global development programs that include ophthalmology, onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox, Allergan)/neurology, medical dermatology, medical aesthetics, plastic surgery, urology, and the surgical treatment of obesity.

“Dr. Whitcup is a highly regarded leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with extensive experience in multiple therapeutic areas, including autoimmune diseases, ophthalmology, central nervous system disease, and dermatology,” said Virgil D. Thompson, chairman of the board of Questcor Pharmaceuticals. “The growth strategies and product manufacturing for [repository corticotropin injection (H.P. Acthar Gel, Questcor Pharmaceuticals)] and [onabotulinumtoxinA] have some interesting parallels. We believe that Scott’s pivotal role in the growth of [onabotulinumtoxinA] as a treatment for a range of medical conditions will benefit Questcor as we increase our scientific efforts to explore the potential for [repository corticotropin injection] to treat additional autoimmune conditions.”

Dr. Whitcup joined Allergan in 2000 and has been executive vice president of research and development since July 2004. He became chief scientific officer in April 2009. He has helped Allergan obtain approximately 20 major regulatory approvals.

Before joining Allergan, Dr. Whitcup served as the clinical director of the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

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