In 2003, Ken Phelps applied more than three decades of industry experience to found Camargo Pharmaceutical Services in Cincinnati with Dr. Ruth Stevens (chief scientific officer and executive vice president). It is no coincidence that 2003 was also the year the US FDA introduced guidelines governing the 505(b)(2) approval pathway. In the beginning, Camargo focused solely on being the industry’s 505(b)(2) development partner of choice.
Today, Camargo has become part of Premier Consulting, which has led the largest percentage of 505(b)(2) submissions of any team submitting to the FDA—Premier Consulting has led more than 1100 agency meetings and is the industry authority in 505(b)(2).
Before founding Camargo, Phelps’ diverse background in drug development had led to a number of executive-level assignments in the areas of quality control, project management and regulatory, clinical and medical affairs at Duramed Pharmaceuticals. Phelps also held a number of positions at Merrell-National Labs (which merged to become Merrell Dow and later evolved into Aventis), where he was responsible for global quality assurance, quality control, and processing technology, with an assignment based in Milan, Italy.
Today, as a thought leader in the shifting landscape of drug development and emergent pathways around the globe, Phelps addresses the financial challenges of pharmaceutical companies caused by the generics cliff and routinely presents on the topic at events worldwide. He has recently been invited to speak on the topic at DCAT and other international conferences and on how companies can realize the opportunities of 505(b)(2) and expanded marketability. Phelps is also a founding member of the 505(b)(2) Forum, an assembly of product developers and service providers interested in improving best practices across the 505(b)(2) development process. He publishes articles frequently and is a featured interviewee in publications, videos and podcasts concerning new, repositioned, and differentiated product development around the globe.