DR DAVID BROWN
BSc, PhD, FRSM.
PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION
Over the last 40 years, Dr David Brown has served with four of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies: ICI Pharmaceuticals/Zeneca, Pfizer, Glaxo Wellcome, and Hoffman La-Roche; and also, as President and Chief Executive of Cellzome AG, a biotechnology company headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. Whilst at Pfizer, he was named co-inventor on the patent for Viagra and led the team that developed it from initial research to proof of clinical efficacy in Male Erectile Dysfunction in human trials. He also played a pivotal role in the discovery of Relpax, a migraine treatment. Combined, these drugs have achieved sales of over $50B. At Roche in Switzerland, he was a director, overseeing 2000 staff focused on drug discovery across Roche’s research sites in the USA, Europe, and Asia.
Dr Brown has founded or co-founded several biotechnology and consultancy companies, including Crescendo Biologics at Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK, and Healx Ltd, a Cambridge University spin-out. Currently, he is both Chair of the Board and Chief Scientific Officer at Healx, which applies machine learning/AI to find treatments for untreatable rare diseases by repurposing safe drugs. In 2019, he was elected to the Maserati 100 list of top UK entrepreneurs. He also serves on the boards of ProFactor Pharma (Chair) and Babraham Institute Enterprise Ltd (Chair).
David was a founding investor in Syndicate Room, a fast-growing crowdfunding site in Cambridge. Experienced in stock market investment, he co-founded Monthly Investor, educating others in asset management. He regularly presents at conferences in London and across the UK, focusing on the New Industrial Revolution. Forbes interviewed him on this topic in March 2015.
Dr Brown has been involved with OneWorld Health (now PATH Drug Development), San Francisco, dedicated to bringing medicines to the world's poorest. He is co-inventor of iOWH-032, a new drug which completed Phase 1 clinical trials in the USA and Bangladesh, initially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The UK’s Department for International Development is funding Phase 2 trials. Dr Brown served as a Trustee and Chair of the Science Committee (2014-2017) for Antibiotic Research UK, a charity addressing the critical issue of antibiotic resistance. The committee comprised members from UK universities and Public Health England. He co-founded and chairs FMVSO, a charity supporting a school and orphanage in South Tibet, China. He personally supports and teaches the children there. Through FMVSO, over 300 children receive food, clothing, and education.
Since 2022, Dr Brown has generously offered his expertise and guidance as an independent advisor and healthcare coach to Avix Pharmaceuticals Limited, UK. His invaluable contributions have been instrumental in the development of anti-aging supplements and green antibiotics. Dr Brown has played a pivotal role in formulating strategies, advising on marketing, and shaping the business plan at Avix. It's noteworthy that, as of now, he does not hold any financial stake in the company.
Dr Brown holds prestigious positions as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, demonstrating his significant contributions to the fields of medicine and chemistry. He is currently based in Cambridge, UK.
