BOSTON, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PAREXEL International (NASDAQ: PRXL), a leading global biopharmaceutical services organization, today announced the appointment of Peter Steiger, Ph.D., to the newly created position of Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Medical Imaging. Dr. Steiger, who has more than 25 years of experience in the application of specialized medical imaging techniques in support of biopharmaceutical product development, will oversee the worldwide medical imaging scientific strategy at PAREXEL Informatics.  PAREXEL Informatics provides advanced technology solutions to facilitate the clinical development process.

"Peter Steiger's proven industry track record and deep musculoskeletal imaging expertise make him an outstanding addition to our medical imaging team," said Xavier Flinois, President of PAREXEL Informatics. "Clinical study sponsors increasingly rely on medical imaging technologies as surrogate endpoints to quickly assess safety and efficacy for 'go/no-go' pipeline decision-making. Peter's appointment reflects our ongoing commitment to leveraging global industry expertise to advance our client's innovative pipelines and fully support them through their complex drug development journey."

"PAREXEL is a clear leader in the field of medical imaging in support of clinical research, especially through the unique combination of its in-depth therapeutic expertise and advanced imaging technologies," said Dr. Steiger. "I am excited to work with this renowned global team and contribute my experience to help clients in the design and execution of their clinical studies."

Ken Faulkner, Corporate Vice President for Medical Imaging at PAREXEL Informatics, commented, "We are excited to welcome Dr. Steiger to our team.  Under his scientific direction, we will continue to build on our established reputation as the premier medical imaging core laboratory in the market."

Prior to joining PAREXEL, Dr. Steiger was the CEO of Optasia Medical from 2006 to 2013 and CEO of Synarc from 2000 to 2005. He also spent several years as Chief Scientist for medical imaging device company Hologic, where he led the Medical Data Management division responsible for supporting the use of bone densitometry measurements in clinical studies.   

A scientist by training, Dr. Steiger received his Ph.D. from the Eidgensssische Technische Hochschule Zurich, where he researched imaging techniques for assessing bone strength and density. He then served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of California San Francisco, where he was one of the pioneers in the application of imaging endpoints to clinical trials. Dr. Steiger has published more than 100 scientific articles and abstracts related to medical imaging techniques.  He holds four patents in the field of musculoskeletal imaging.

PAREXEL® Informatics Medical Imaging offers broad-ranging capabilities in the application of imaging techniques from early clinical development through peri-approval studies. Its experts operate globally and service a wide range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, neurology, rheumatology, cardiology and endocrinology. 

About PAREXEL International
PAREXEL International Corporation is a leading global biopharmaceutical services organization, providing a broad range of knowledge-based contract research, consulting, medical communications, and technology solutions and services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Committed to providing solutions that expedite time-to-market and peak-market penetration, PAREXEL has developed significant expertise across the development and commercialization continuum, from drug development and regulatory consulting to clinical pharmacology, clinical trials management, medical education and reimbursement. PAREXEL Informatics, Inc., a subsidiary of PAREXEL, provides advanced technology solutions, including medical imaging, to facilitate the clinical development process. Headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts, PAREXEL operates in 76 locations in 50 countries around the world, and has 15,100 employees.  For more information about PAREXEL International visit www.PAREXEL.com.

PAREXEL and "Your Journey.  Our Mission." are trademarks or registered trademarks of PAREXEL International Corporation or its affiliates.

This release contains "forward-looking" statements regarding future results and events, including, without limitation, statements regarding expected financial results, future growth and customer demand.   For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements.  Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "appears," "estimates," "projects," "will," "would," "could," "should," "targets," and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements.  The forward-looking statements in this release involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  The Company's actual future results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release.  Important factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: actual operating performance; actual expense savings and other operating improvements resulting from recent and anticipated restructurings; the loss, modification, or delay of contracts which would, among other things, adversely impact the Company's recognition of revenue included in backlog; the Company's dependence on certain industries and clients; the Company's ability to win new business, manage growth and costs, and attract and retain employees; the Company's ability to complete additional acquisitions, and to integrate newly acquired businesses including the recent acquisitions of LIQUENT, Inc. and HERON, Inc., or enter into new lines of business; the impact on the Company's business of government regulation of the drug,  medical device and biotechnology industry; consolidation within the pharmaceutical industry and competition within the biopharmaceutical services industry; the potential for significant liability to clients and third parties; the potential adverse impact of health care reform; and the effects of exchange rate fluctuations and other international economic, political, and other risks. Such factors and others are discussed more fully in the section entitled "Risk Factors" of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2013 as filed with the SEC on January 31, 2014, which "Risk Factors" discussion is incorporated by reference in this press release. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the future.  These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Contacts:
Diana Martin, Vice President, Corporate Communications
PAREXEL International
Tel: +1 781-434-5516
Email: [email protected]

Matthew Briggs
PAN Communications
Tel: +1 617-502-4300
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE PAREXEL International