NEW YORK (March 6, 2018)—TB Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight tuberculosis (TB), has appointed Nancy Miller-Rich to its Board of Directors. She has 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with the most recent two decades focused on global business development at Merck Pharmaceuticals from which she retired in September of 2017.
“Tuberculosis drug development is on track to deliver faster and better treatments for the disease in the next few years,” said Ms. Miller-Rich. “It will be my pleasure to serve on the TB Alliance board as the organization addresses the urgent need for new and improved cures.”
As Senior Vice President of Merck Global Human Health, Ms. Miller-Rich’s responsibilities included global business development, alliance management, strategy, commercial assessment, forecasting, market research, promotion, social media and commercial digital transformation.
“We are thrilled to have Ms. Miller-Rich join the Board,” said Dr. Mel Spigelman, President and CEO of TB Alliance. “Her range and depth of experience in the pharmaceutical industry will be of enormous benefit to TB Alliance in our quest to provide impactful solutions to the TB pandemic. Faster acting, less toxic, simpler and affordable TB cures are almost within reach; she will help in the push to cross the finish line.”
In addition to Merck, Ms. Miller-Rich has worked at Schering-Plough, Sandoz (now Novartis) and Sterling Drug. She received her B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.
About Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global disease, found in every country in the world. It is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that two billion people—one third of the world's population—are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the bacteria that causes TB. In 2016, 10.4 million fell ill from TB and 1.7 million died. TB is an airborne disease that can be spread by coughing or sneezing. There is growing resistance to available drugs, which means the disease is becoming more deadly and difficult to treat. There are 490,000 cases of multidrug-resistant TB each year.
About TB Alliance
TB Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding faster-acting and affordable drug regimens to fight tuberculosis (TB). Through innovative science and with partners around the globe, we aim to ensure equitable access to faster, better TB cures that will advance global health and prosperity. TB Alliance operates with support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research through KfW, Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Irish Aid, Indonesia Health Fund, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom Department for International Development, United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Food and Drug Administration.