Hepatitis B Foundation Appoints Global Expert Dr. Nat Brown to Its Board of Directors

Dr. Nat Brown is a world-renowned hepatitis B drug development expert and Doylestown native 

DOYLESTOWN, PA (February 2017) – The Hepatitis B Foundation, the nation’s leading nonprofit research and disease advocacy organization, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathaniel Brown, M.D., a retired pharmaceutical executive living in San Francisco, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Brown is a Doylestown native who graduated from Central Bucks High School 50 years ago and has since become a renowned global leader in the field of antiviral drug discovery and development, with the past 20 years spent focused on hepatitis B.

“The Hepatitis B Foundation is proud to have Dr. Nat Brown join the Board of Directors because he has made enormous contributions to improving the lives of those chronically infected with hepatitis B,” said Timothy M. Block, Ph.D., president and co-founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation. “Dr. Brown led the development, and eventual approval, of the first oral drug for hepatitis B, which not only spurred additional drug discovery, but also made liver transplantation an option for hepatitis B patients who had been previously excluded.”

Dr. Brown is an infectious diseases physician with over 30 years of experience both in academic medicine at Cornell and UCLA, and as a senior executive in pharmaceutical drug development at GlaxoSmithKline, Idenix, Novira and other biotech companies. Prior to retiring in July 2016, he had leadership roles in multiple anti-viral/anti-infective drug development programs, resulting in U.S. and global product approvals for six new medicines for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and associated infections. As the global clinical leader for two HBV antivirals (lamivudine and telbivudine),Dr. Brown has extensive experience with globalized HBV drug development, including North and South America, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and mainland China. 

Dr. Brown has authored over 200 scientific publications and served in advisory roles to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, foundations, and government agencies (NIH and FDA). He studied Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, received his Medical Degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, completed clinical specialty training at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, and post-doctoral training in infectious diseases and virology at Yale University School of Medicine. 

About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call 215-489-4900.

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