Helen McGuire has over 19 years in biotech and pharmaceutical experience in business development transactions, partnerships, and strategic investments including a background in medicinal chemistry, anti-infective and anti-viral research and development. Helen joined Pacira in 2016 and currently serves as Director of Corporate Strategy and Business Development and is a member of Pacira’s extended leadership team. She leads the in-depth evaluation of external assets from opportunity identification through due diligence to enhance Pacira’s pipeline. She drives transactions from initiation to closure and works collaboratively with colleagues in finance, commercial and clinical to build strategy and execute on growth of Pacira’s marketed products.

Helen was a Transaction manager in Business Development Operations at AstraZeneca, in the Global Portfolio and Project Strategy team, supporting primarily out-licensing opportunities of various assets across multiple therapeutic areas. She led the due diligence process and managed multiple global projects. She earned her MBA at Babson College in Wellsley, MA and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2016.

Helen spent over seven years as a scientist in infection chemistry at AstraZeneca designing and synthesizing new chemical entities (NCE) and is an inventor on multiple patents. She started her career at Anadys Pharmaceuticals in La Jolla, CA designing and synthesizing analogs for treatment of Hepatitis C.

Helen completed her Master’s in organic chemistry at University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, CA in 2004.  She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Bachelor of Arts in Honors at Villanova University in Villanova, PA.