About Chukwunonso
Live. Powerful. Impactful
I am the founder and CEO of OneDrug and a multiple award-winning pharmacologist with over five years’ experience in drug development across academia and the pharmaceutical industry. I have received > 20 awards and recognitions worth more than C$200K in funding due to my academic, research, and leadership accomplishments. I have authored 13 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 11 industry-standard peer-reviewed reports in support of drug development programs.
As a PhD student in pharmaceutical sciences at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, I am uncovering pharmacological strategies for improving the safety and efficacy of respiratory medicines, particularly, promising drugs for SARS-CoV-2 infection. I ranked 11.65% out of 515 national applicants and received the prestigious Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award valued at C$105K to support my doctoral work. I am also funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements Award to predict the optimal dosing regimen for promising COVID-19 drugs.
My research work on optimizing the pharmacology of respiratory medicines has received C$120K in funding from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.
I have contributed to the development of several approved drugs for the treatment of life-threatening diseases. At Gilead Sciences, I contributed to the development of Remdesivir and Lenacapavir for the treatment of COVID-19 and HIV respectively. In December 2022, Lenacapavir, sold under the brand name Sunlenca®, received FDA approval as a first-in-class, twice-yearly treatment option for HIV patients who are multi-drug resistant. In October 2020, Remdesivir (Veklury) received FDA approval for the treatment of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. Remdesivir saved the life of many SARS-CoV-2-infected patients at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and generated annual revenue of $5.6 billion for Gilead Sciences in 2021.
During my MSc program in Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan, I contributed to the development of novel compounds for the treatment and/or diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. I received the prestigious Pharmacy and Nutrition Graduate Scholarship and an NSERC graduate student research stipend valued at C$34K and C$7620 to support my MSc research work which investigated the preclinical disposition profile of 3 novel compounds under basic science research for the treatment and/or diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
As a transformational leader, I have held positions in a number of organizations, including those of Vice Chair for the Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic and Drug Metabolism (PPDM) Community of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), USA, and Editorial Board Member of Drug Metabolism Reviews and Journal of Applied Bioanalysis. I advanced the scientific impact of Drug Metabolism Reviews journal through the special issue that I edited which attracted 8 impactful papers from scientists across leading academic and pharmaceutical organizations. I have organized several high-impact AAPS webinars and contributed to the development of an upcoming Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetic Workshop organized by the leadership of PPDM community.
I am a multiple award-winning Junior Fellow at Massey College and have organized well-received webinars to support the professional development of Massey community members. I have delivered a guest lecture entitled “Change Management in Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing” to graduate students at the Kenneth Levene Graduate School of Business, University of Regina, Canada. I am the University of Toronto Site Representative at Drug Metabolism Discussion Group, United Kingdom.
In addition to my longstanding interest in leading the discovery and development of life-saving medicines for patients suffering from life-threatening diseases, I am passionate about youth empowerment and development. Currently, I am the founder of Purpose Driven Men, an inspirational group that is fostering the growth and development of men all over the world. I have completed a BSc in Biochemistry, MSc in Pharmacy, and MBA, all with distinction.
