Adventrx Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, has appointed Santosh J. Vetticaden, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer and senior vice president.

Vetticaden has more than 25 years of experience in drug development and medicine, spanning a variety of therapeutic areas, including anticoagulation, hemophilia, anti-infectives and rheumatology/inflammation. He has directed and managed the clinical development of both large and small molecules, from protocol design to execution of multi-center, global clinical trials.

Before joining Adventrx, Vetticaden held several senior level positions leading drug development across phase I through phase IV trials at biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, he served as senior vice president and chief medical and development officer at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, where his tenure was highlighted by successful phase II trials and advancing multiple drugs into phase III. Prior to that, he held senior positions at Maxygen; Scios, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson; Aventis Pharmaceuticals (Sanofi); and the Whitehall-Robins Healthcare division of American Home Products (Pfizer).