John Grosso
2018

Vice President, Manufacturing Controls
Arvinas Inc.

“I value my Purdue Pharmacy education for depth in basic sciences, breadth in appreciating the interdisciplinary nature of medicinal chemistry, and all of this in a supportive and collaborative community.”
Education
  • PhD 1980, Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University
Career Highlights
  • Developing the synthesis and manufacture of the 2nd generation ACE inhibitor fosinopril (Monopril®)
  • Developing the process to couple the side chain to 10-desacetyl bacatin enabling a scalable manufacturing route to semi-synthetic paclitaxel (Taxol®)
  • Crystal engineering the final form of the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin (Farxiga®)
  • Manufacturing API and Drug Product to support three Phase 1 studies for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis within 12 months
  • Preparing the 1st Kilogram of a PROTAC® protein degrader potentially useful in the treatment of prostate cancer

Dr. Grosso is the Vice President of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls at Arvinas Inc., a leading biotech pioneering protein degradation as a means of treating disease.

Prior to joining Arvinas, Dr. Grosso was Executive Director and Head of Pharmaceutical Development at Vitae Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for API and DP development and manufacturing, as well as, Clinical Supply. During the two years spent at Vitae, he advanced two oral RORƴt antagonists and one LXR agonist into the clinic.

Prior to Vitae, Dr. Grosso was a Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls subject matter expert advising the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the U.S. Government on the development of small molecules to treat multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, antivirals for the treatment of pandemic flu, and a number of agents useful in the treatment of radiation exposure.

Dr. Grosso began his career with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) in Chemical Process Research & Development rising to the level of Director and site-head for Product Research & Development over a twenty-year span. He transitioned into Analytical Research & Development where, as Executive Director, he was responsible for process analytical science, method development and testing for both API and DP, in addition to a number of specialty labs. He finished his tenure at BMS as Executive Director, Drug Product Science and Technology where he created and operationalized a department of Materials Science. Over his 32-year career at BMS he played a pivotal role in the development and commercialization of Monopril., Taxol., Eliquis., Sprycel., and Dapagliflozin.