Press Releases

(Alexandria, VA) – Dilip J. Mehta, MD, PhD, has been selected by the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT) to receive its 2008 Gary Neil Prize for Innovation in Drug Development. ASCPT will present this award to Dr. Mehta Wednesday, April 2, 2008, during the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

The Gary Neil Prize for Innovation in Drug Development aims to stimulate the application of innovative science to clinical drug development by recognizing outstanding individuals or teams who are leaders in this area. The prize was established to honor Gary Neil, PhD, former head of worldwide research and development at Wyeth-Ayerst.

Dr. Mehta received his MBBS, MD, and PhD from the University of Bombay. He continued his training in clinical pharmacology at the Cornell University Medical College. While at Cornell, his research group helped establish the value of concurrent well-controlled trials, the differentiation of efficacy from potency, and the need for specific, propter hoc protocol analytical specifications. These innovations continue to impact clinical pharmacology today.

Dr. Mehta began his career in research and development with Bristol Laboratories and then with Hoechst AG. He has spent the past 15 years at Pfizer, where he was responsible for clinical research (phase I, II and III), including the design and implementation of clinical protocols, statistical analyses and data processing, and submissions of New Drug Applications (NDAs). He supervised NDA submissions for many of the company's current top-selling drugs, including Norvasc, Zoloft, Zithromax, Diflucan, and Viagra.

ASCPT is the leading forum for the exchange, development, and integration of translational science into the drug development continuum from discovery to safe and effective medication use. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, ASCPT was founded in 1900 and has more than 2,100 members worldwide.