Cecil B. Pickett, Ph.D., has been named President of Research and Development at Biogen Idec - formed in 2003 from the merger of two of the world's leading biotechnology companies: Biogen, Inc., founded in Switzerland in 1978, and IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation, founded in San Francisco, CA in 1985.

As President of R&D at Biogen Idec, he will join the Biogen Idec Board of Directors.

Prior to his acceptance of this position, Dr. Pickett served as senior vice president and president of Schering-Plough Research Institute- the pharmaceutical research arm of Schering-Plough Corporation.

Dr. Pickett’s responsibilities at Schering-Plough Corporation included overseeing all aspects of the internal research and collaboration with partners aimed at developing, manufacturing, and marketing advanced drug therapies. There, he played an integral role in bringing several large and small molecule candidates into Schering-Plough’s clinical development.

He has also served as a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Science Board, the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health and The National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine.

Dr. Pickett earned his B.Sc. in biology from California State University at Hayward and his Ph.D. in cell biology from UCLA.

Currently, Biogen Idec has 17 products in clinical development which address a variety of key medical needs.