Ohio University alum Dr. Milind Deshpande was one of two recipients of a Connecticut Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his company’s work in developing a new drug targeting the Hepatitis C virus.
Dr. Milind Deshpande
Deshpande earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the OHIO College of Arts & Sciences in 1987.
On Dec. 8 in New Haven, CURE, the Connecticut bioscience organization, presented the 2015 CURE Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Deshpande of Achillion Pharmaceuticals and Patrick Fourteau of New Haven Pharmaceuticals, two biotechnology executives whose companies have developed promising new pharmaceutical products through the expert management of new approaches to drug development, according to a news release.
The CURE Entrepreneur of the Year Award was established by CURE and Shipman & Goodwin LLP in 2013 to acknowledge the importance of showcasing unique accomplishments of entrepreneurs in the Connecticut bioscience community.
About Milind Deshpande
Dr. Milind Deshpande is President & CEO of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded pharmaceutical company focused on discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics for high unmet need. Achillion applies expertise in biology and structure-guided design and a deep understanding of patient, clinician, and payer needs to develop innovative treatment solutions aimed at improving patients’ lives.
Deshpande joined Achillion Pharmaceuticals in 2001 and previously was the President of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer there. During his tenure as the CSO, Achillion developed a robust portfolio for treatment of hepatitis C, culminating in an important worldwide license and collaboration agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Achillion, Milind headed the early discovery programs in Infectious Disease and Neuroscience at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He was post-doctoral fellow and a faculty member of the Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.
According to a colleague and scientist familiar with his work, “Milind has inspired and led extraordinary examples of innovation in the antiviral arena, culminating in the establishment of a world-class portfolio of early to mid stage compounds targeting Hepatitis C virus. One of the company’s compounds, ACHN-3102, was developed from ‘white board’ to IND (investigational new drug) in 10 months. I am not aware of any other case study in recent history which not only accomplished that feat, but also resulted in the molecule emerging as the gold standard for the NS5a mechanism.”
Dormer Stephen, a partner at Shipman & Goodwin, said “Milind and Patrick exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well in the Connecticut bioscience community. We are proud to recognize and showcase their accomplishments.”
In her introductory remarks, Dr. Susan Froshauer, president and CEO of CURE, said, “It is such a pleasure to honor these two Connecticut entrepreneurs. Under their leadership, their companies and employees are delivering new levels of excellence.”
CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence) is the bioscience cluster of Connecticut, a diverse network of small and large life and health care sciences companies, universities, scientists, educators, students, entrepreneurs, mentors, business experts, service providers and investors. As participants in CURE, we cultivate entrepreneurship, build bioscience companies, and collaborate to ensure a sustainable, high-value bioscience and healthcare community that improves our quality of life and keeps the Connecticut economy strong.
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