Professor John Skerritt appointed to Medicines Australia Board

4 December 2023: Professor John Skerritt has been appointed to the Medicines Australia Board as an Independent Selected Director. 

“I am delighted to announce Professor John Skerritt will be joining the Medicines Australia Board to provide strategic leadership, informed by decades of government experience, at a pivotal time for the pharmaceutical industry,” Medicines Australia Board Chair, Dr Anna Lavelle AM, said.

“As a former Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care and former head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, John’s knowledge of the Australian therapeutics regulatory environment is unmatched.”

“This expertise is critical as Australia seeks to harness the step change in technology and ensure that Australian patients have access to new innovative therapies as they become available.”

“John’s deep understanding of government, and policy development and implementation, will be invaluable as Medicines Australia builds on the work undertaken to date with the Government on the reforms needed to speed up patient access to new medicines.”

Prof Skerritt said he is looking forward to working closely with the industry at this transformational time. 

“It is a tremendous honour to be joining the Board of Medicines Australia as an Independent Selected Director,” he said.  

“The ability of innovative medicines to positively impact the lives of so many Australians drove me to choose this area as my university major some 45 years ago. Now, in the same way over it has been rewarding for me to support patient access to innovative medicines through leadership of Australia’s regulator over the last decade, I now look forward to working with Australia’s top leaders in the sector through this new Board role.”  

Prof Skerritt officially commences on Monday 4 December 2023.