Cooksey appointed Aegate chairman

Sir David Cooksey has been appointed as chairman of the board at UK-based pharmaceutical authentication company Aegate, after serving as an advisor to the firm since June 2010.

Commenting on his appointment, Sir David said: "Aegate is addressing a significant economic and patient safety issue. Their approach has recently been underpinned by new European legislation which will include a requirement for pharmacists to verify authenticity."

Aegate offers point-of-dispensing authentication technology and systems which have been implemented in Belgium, Greece and Italy. Last year alone the system identified more than 55,000 pack related issues, mostly relating to recalled or expired products.

Sir David has been a director of the Bank of England, chair of the UK Audit Commission and a governor of The Wellcome Trust and chaired an independent review of the bioscience industry for the UK Government. He also serves as chairman of the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation.