ParagonRx Names William L. Holden To Lead Pharmaceutical Safety Strategies

ParagonRx, an inVentiv Health, Inc. company (Nasdaq: VTIV) and a leading consulting company specializing in pharmaceutical risk management and optimizing medication, has named William L. (Billy) Holden as chief safety officer. Holden has almost 20 years experience working at top levels for major drug companies in the areas of pharmacoepidemiology, signal detection and risk management.

“We are expanding the services we offer to clients who need risk mitigation services,” says Jeffrey Fetterman, president of ParagonRx. “Accordingly, Billy will lead our new safety strategy capabilities to detect and characterize safety concerns that may ultimately require the risk mitigation ParagonRx already provides.”

Holden, who holds a doctorate in epidemiology plus related degrees from Yale University and a bachelors (languages and biochemistry) and a masters (epidemiology) from Columbia University, began his career in occupational medicine and has subsequently held top positions at Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Glaxo SmithKline, Sanofi Aventis, Novartis and, most recently, as head of pharmacoepidemiology and benefit risk management for Vertex.

“ParagonRx is a leader in designing and implementing programs for risk management and for FDA-mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies or REMS,” Holden says. “I look forward to working with them, as epidemiology is the foundation science for all risk management strategies.”

ParagonRx is headquartered in Wilmington, DE., with pharmaceutical and biological clients worldwide.