Marking a key changeover at the top of U.K.-Swedish drugmaker group AstraZeneca Plc, head of R&D John Patterson, aged 61, has announced his retirement from the board by next March.
He will be replaced by Anders Ekblom, age 54, who will assume full management responsibility for the development organization at the end of January 2009.

Ekblom joined Astra in 1993 from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, and is currently vice president and head of global clinical development.

Patterson was appointed executive director responsible for R&D in December 2004 and has been in charge of the new drug pipeline during a difficult period for the London-based drugmaker.

He was initially brought in as development head in a bid to restore confidence in the pipeline after two big setbacks - the rejection by U.S. regulators of anticoagulant Exanta and the failure of lung drug Iressa in a key trial.

During his time in charge, the company's R&D results have remained mixed, with setbacks for other products including NXY-059 for stroke, heart drug AGI-1067 and Galida for diabetes.

But AstraZeneca also boosted its portfolio by striking alliances with other companies and buying up promising biotechnology assets, notably the acquisition of MedImmune last year.

Hopes are now running high for its blockbuster cholesterol fighter, Crestor, for which clinical trial Jupiter results are due on November 9th.

Industry analysts expect Crestor to show a substantial reduction in the incidence of heart attack, stroke and death in the Jupiter trial.