Hiroshi Uchida Named President and CEO of Magellan

CHELMSFORD, Mass., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan Biosciences, Inc., an emerging leader in clinical diagnostics, announced that Hiroshi Uchida, Ph.D., has joined the company as president and chief executive officer. He will also serve as a company director. Dr. Uchida (50) has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the global medical technology and management consulting industries. He comes to Magellan from Fenwal, Inc., a leading supplier of advanced blood technologies, where he served most recently as executive vice president and chief technology officer, and then as a member of Fenwal's board of directors.

"Hiroshi brings to Magellan strategic insight, consummate skill in organizational development, and a track record of success building strong companies," said Herbert H. Hooper, chairman of Magellan's board of directors. "Now that the company has divested its life science business to focus on the burgeoning clinical-diagnostic market, Hiroshi and his Magellan leadership team have launched a comprehensive review and strategy focused on building Magellan into a leading diagnostics company in the years ahead."

When Dr. Uchida joined Fenwal in 2006, he was charged with carving out the company from Baxter International and turning around company performance. Fenwal became an independent corporation in 2007. Dr. Uchida held numerous positions in sales, marketing, supply chain, and R&D.  He established the company strategic direction and developed key processes to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Under Dr. Uchida's leadership, product innovation and quality grew and the number of new product launches increased from zero to one launch annually to five to 10 product introductions each year. Revenues also grew by double digits, while operating costs decreased significantly.

Prior to Fenwal, Dr. Uchida held executive positions at Dade Behring, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) products and services to clinical laboratories. He started in 1997 as vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific, and was appointed president, global manufacturing operations and supply chain, before he left in 2006. Previously, he was a global management consultant for Arthur D. Little, serving as director, Asia Pacific. He started his career at Bain and Company, where he was vice president of the Tokyo office. Dr. Uchida holds both a Ph.D. in business studies and sociology, and a master's degree in sociology from Harvard University.

"There are many factors increasing the demand and importance of diagnostic testing – from demographics and an acute shortage of qualified lab personnel to advances in both biomedical research and testing technology – and Magellan is well-positioned with automated and point-of-care platforms to take advantage of growth opportunities," said Dr. Uchida. "I'm honored to join Magellan and its team of dedicated and talented employees. Our three-pillar value-creation strategy to grow the company and serve customers even better, includes:

• Improving productivity by sharing best practices and expertise across the company and through a lean, efficient operations platform;
• Driving organic growth by accelerating investments in breakthrough development projects that build on Magellan's track record of innovation and success in bringing products to market that make diagnostic testing easier, more cost-effective, and less labor-intensive;
• Partnering with synergistic companies that share Magellan's commitment to improving testing workflow for customers, and turbo-charging growth with a strong recurring revenue stream business model."

Better Dx = Better Rx

Estimates are that 138,000 new lab professionals will be needed by 2012 to replace technicians expected to retire, but only 50,000 will be trained by that time. Further, outcomes-based healthcare and new, 'personalized' medicine depend on diagnostic tests to ensure that physicians can prescribe the right treatment at the right dose for patients. A test's ease-of-use, accuracy, reproducibility, and consistency of results – regardless of who is performing it or where – is of paramount importance, which is why Magellan is rapidly becoming the company-of-choice for clinical diagnostics. Magellan's innovative products include rapid point-of-care systems to screen children and adults for lead poisoning; microbiology products for blood culture and susceptibility testing that help in the global effort to prevent MRSA and other drug-resistant infections; as well as automated ELISA processing systems for a wide variety of immunoassays – from infectious disease to autoimmune and food-safety testing.

About Magellan (www.magellanbio.com)

Founded in 2004, Magellan's innovative technologies make diagnostic testing easier, more cost-effective, and less labor intensive. The company's products deliver the timely information that clinicians need to make appropriate treatment decisions and improve outcomes for patients. Magellan has approximately 290 employees worldwide. Brands include LeadCare, TREK, and Dynex.

SOURCE Magellan Biosciences, Inc.