Pierre Boulas, PhD Biogen

Dr. Pierre Boulas is Senior Director, Head of Pharmaceutical Development at Biogen in Cambridge, MA. He received a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Houston, Texas and a graduate degree from the Engineering School of Physics and Chemistry in Bordeaux, France. For the past 20 years, Dr. Boulas has been involved in all aspects of chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) technical support of pharmaceutical development programs for a variety of drug delivery systems. He is a primary CMC author of multiple global regulatory filings including more recently the filing for Nusinersen, an Antisense Oligonucleotide treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (approved by the FDA in December 2016). His main interests are in fostering change and innovation in pharmaceutical operations. His current focus is in the implementation of Quality-by-Design principles, innovation in manufacturing process controls and incorporation of patient insights in drug development strategies. Dr. Boulas leads the Pharmaceutical Development group at Biogen with responsibility over the drug substance and drug product development activities.

Dr. Boulas represents Biogen on the Board of Directors of the IQ Consortium, an international association of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies aiming to advance innovation and quality in the development of pharmaceutical products through scientifically-driven best practices and standards.  He is currently serving as the Chair of the Consortium. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Enabling Technologies Consortium and the Allotrope Foundation.  The Enabling Technologies Consortium is comprised of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies collaborating on issues related to pharmaceutical CMC with the goal of identifying, evaluating, developing, and improving scientific tools and techniques that support the efficient development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. The Allotrope Foundation is an international association of pharmaceutical and biotech companies dedicated to the building of a “Laboratory Framework” to improve efficiency in data acquisition, archiving, and management.