Astellas appoints new head of UK operations

Astellas Pharma Europe has announced the appointment of Mike Crooks as the new general manager of its UK operations.

Mr Crooks has been with the firm's British division Astellas Pharma Limited since December 2007, having originally been appointed as marketing director, before being named sales and marketing director for specialist brands in 2010.

Prior to his hiring by Astellas, he served as marketing and sales director for Novo Nordisk's northern European diabetes franchise, while other previous employers include Ciba, Novartis and Zeneca.

He has been appointed as the successor to the late Amit Makwana and will be responsible for managing and expanding Astellas' UK business.

Ken Jones, president and chief executive officer of Astellas Pharma Europe, said: "With a proven track record in delivering sales … Mike provides the right leadership to deliver on our commercial objectives and will support our commitment to patients and healthcare professionals in the UK."

Last month, Astellas agreed a new collaborative deal with UK-based AstraZeneca, which will grant the latter company access to a pair of developmental diabetes therapies.