- Using innovative thinking to realize a future more “immune” to supply chain disruptions
- Incentivizing improvements to the pharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure that enhance the reliability of manufacturing and supply
- Delivering on the promise of advanced manufacturing to provide reliable, available, high-quality drugs for patients
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Michael Kopcha
Director, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, CDER
FDA
Michael Kopcha, Ph.D., R.Ph., Director, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ), is a leader in the development of innovative solutions to resolve scientific, manufacturing, and commercialization issues worldwide – and in standardizing and harmonizing global processes. With more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, his areas of expertise include formulation and process development, process validation, technology transfer, off-shoring/outsourcing, and change management. Dr. Kopcha recently served as vice president, and global research and development franchise head, for cough, cold, and respiratory products at Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. in New Jersey. He joined Novartis in 2008 as the global head for pharmaceutical and analytical development, later serving as global head for new technologies and product innovation, and vice president and global head for global product development. At Novartis, Dr. Kopcha led the creation of a global R&D vision and strategies to drive innovation for the cough, cold, and respiratory franchise – through development, sourcing, manufacturing, and supply. He restructured and reorganized global product development to provide for a category-focused, globalized organization, and is credited for the creation of a successful strategic off-shoring/outsourcing program to increase project capacity and efficiency. Before joining Novartis, Dr. Kopcha served as vice president for pharmaceutical development at KV Pharmaceutical, Inc. in St. Louis, where he directed and managed analytical research and development, product development, process development and technology transfer, stability, drug delivery, project management, and external alliance. His experience also includes related roles with Schering-Plough, J&J, and Ivax. Dr. Kopcha earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in pharmaceutical science, and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He served as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers.
