Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> January 13, 2000
JOE C. COOK, JR. has been Chairman of the Board and CEO of Amylin
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since March, 1998 and a Board member since 1994.
He served as a consultant to the Company from 1994 until his present
appointment. Mr. Cook is a founder and serves as Chairman of the Board
of Microbia, Inc., an early stage start-up biotechnology company located
in Cambridge, MA. Mr. Cook is also is a founder of Life Science
Advisors, LLC, a senior level management consulting firm serving
businesses in the health care sector. Mr. Cook retired from Eli Lilly
and Company in 1993 after completing more than 28 years with the
company. At the time of his retirement, he was a Corporate Group Vice-
President responsible for various functions including: a worldwide
business unit, global manufacturing, corporate engineering, corporate
quality control and assurance, and other technology and support
functions. During his career with Lilly, Mr. Cook was Vice-President of
Sales and Marketing, Elanco Products Company, General Business Manager,
Worldwide Capsule Business Unit, Chief Financial Officer, Elanco
Products Company, Director, Corporate Information Systems, and held
several other cross functional assignments in distribution, finance,
production, corporate planning and technology deployment. Mr. Cook is a
director Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. San Diego, CA and NABI, Inc. Boca
Raton, FL. He is a founder of Mountain Ventures, Inc., a real estate
development company in Black Mountain, NC. Mr. Cook was born in
Chattanooga, TN, and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a
degree in Engineering in 1965. He joined Eli Lilly and Company upon
graduation. During 1976-77, he spent one year on special leave from
Lilly and participated in the President's Executive Interchange Program
in Washington, DC. During that year, he served as Director of
Administration for the U. S. International Trade Commission. Mr. Cook
has been active in many community affairs, including: Louisville
Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Board of Trustees; Past-Chairman,
Advisory Board, College of Engineering, University of Tennessee; Past-
Chairman of the Independent Colleges of Indiana Foundation; and Past
Vice-Chairman of United Way of Central Indiana. Profile
Mr. Cook: Amylin was founded over 10 years ago, and the basis of our
company was a scientific observation that was made at Oxford
