NORTHBROOK, Ill., Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas today announced that David Fryrear, M.S., joined its Medical and Development (M&D) organization as senior vice president and head of the Clinical and Research Quality Assurance (CRQA) organization in June 2019.

"I am thrilled that David has joined Astellas to lead and provide strategic direction for our global CRQA organization," said Bernhardt G. Zeiher, M.D., chief medical officer (CMO), Astellas. "David's demonstrated skills and experience will ensure the delivery of robust and sustainable quality solutions, while allowing us the agility that we need to continue delivering innovative therapeutics to patients worldwide as fast as possible."

Fryrear will be located at Astellas' M&D headquarter office in Northbrook, Illinois, U.S., and will report directly to Zeiher. In his new role, Fryrear will be responsible for providing the global vision, leadership and strategic direction of CRQA at Astellas. He will champion excellence in clinical and research quality assurance activities and risk-based approaches to meet the requirements of the evolving regulatory and compliance landscape and support Astellas' growing and diverse pipeline.

Fryrear is a senior business leader with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He has a proven track record in developing and leading global teams that deliver proactive, effective and actionable strategies to support current and future pipelines by ensuring data is generated in a high quality, accurate and rigorous manner, in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. Prior to joining Astellas, Fryrear held senior leadership roles at AbbVie and Eli Lilly in R&D Quality Assurance and Global Quality Systems.

Fryrear earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, U.S., and a master's degree in pharmaceutical science from Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/us/ 

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.