Three pharmaceutical and medical device industry executives died Sept. 11 when the planes they were traveling on were hijacked by terrorists.
—Dora Menchaca, 45, of Santa Monica, CA, a cancer researcher and associate director of clinical research for Amgen Inc., was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77 that rammed into the Pentagon after taking off from Washington Dulles Airport.
Menchaca joined Amgen in 1991. She was the first person Amgen founder George Morstyn hired to work in the company’s clinical development organization, the company said. She held numerous positions in development, and most recently served as clinical studies management team leader for Stem Cell Factor, MGDF, and Abarelix.
She was heading back to Los Angeles after having met with FDA on Amgen business.
“Dora was always a champion for the patient and a role model for the Amgen values,” the company said. “Her passion and belief in doing whatever it takes to help patients and advance science will have a lasting impact.”
Menchaca is survived by her husband, Earl Dorsey, a son, and a daughter.
—Lisa Raines, senior vice president of government relations for Genzyme Corp., was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77.
Raines, 43, joined Genzyme in 1993 after working with the Industrial Biotechnology Association (now the Biotechnology Industry Organization), first as director of government relations and later as vice president. She helped enact such laws as the Drug Export Amendments Act of 1986, the Process Patent Amendments Act of 1988, and the Prescription Drug User Fee Act of 1992. Previously, she served as study director and legal analyst in the biotechnology program of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Lisa Raines,” Henri Termeer, Genzyme chairman and CEO, said. “Lisa was a great friend and a brilliant colleague. She was a tremendous advocate for this company and for the biotechnology industry, who worked tirelessly and effectively in Washington to ensure that the best medicines reached patients. We will greatly miss her.”
Raines is survived by her husband, Stephen Push, of Great Falls, VA.
—Thomas Burnett Jr., the chief financial officer of the medical research firm Thoratec Corp., of Pleasanton, CA, has been called a “hero” for possibly helping to stop the hijackers of United Flight 93 from attacking their intended target.
During the flight, Burnett called his wife and said he and other passengers were “going to do something” about the hijackers. The airplane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, killing all 44 on board. Investigators believe it was probably headed for Washington, DC, or Camp David, MD.
Burnett was 38 and is survived by his wife and three young daughters. Thoratec created a memorial fund in his honor. The company develops medical devices for circulatory support, vascular graft, blood coagulation, and skin incision applications.
