Our Team
Kwok Chow, Ph.D.
President
Dr. Kwok Chow is an expert in product development and drug delivery systems. Currently, he is the President of Covar Pharmaceuticals Inc. He has served as a Scientific Advisor to the Editors of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a core member of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacology at Health Canada.
Dr. Chow was the Senior Director of Global PDS Technology and Alliances at Patheon Inc. with the responsibility of introducing new technologies, establishing strategic alliances and supporting the development of challenging molecules. Before this Dr. Chow was Director of Formulation Development, responsible for all formulation development activities in Patheon Canada, and specializing in a wide range of products including tablets, soft gelatin capsules, liquids, topicals, suspensions, nasal sprays, powder for reconstitution, combination and fast dissolving formulations, etc. Dr. Chow also developed a screening program (SoluPath) to improve bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs.
Dr. Chow began his career at Glaxo where he led the development of new chemical entities and line extension products for North American, European, Japan and Asia Pacific markets. Dr. Chow received his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in Industrial Pharmacy from Professor David Grant at the University of Toronto. Dr. Chow also served previously as an Adjunct Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, School of Pharmacy.
Chung Chow Chan, Ph.D
VP, Analytical Development
Dr. Chung Chow Chan is an expert in development of GxP quality programs and analytical method development/validation. In addition to his role at Covar, he is a member of the Prescription/Non-Prescription Stakeholders and General Chapters Project Teams for the United States Pharmacopeia.
Dr. Chan was Senior Director of Project/Program Management and Analytical Services at Azopharma, where he led validation strategies and Phase I development programs. Before Azopharma, Dr. Chan was a Technical Manager and Principal Research Scientist at Eli Lilly, where he led early/late development projects, method validations, and IND/NDA submissions. Dr. Chan also worked at Glaxo as a Research Scientist and Manager.
Dr. Chan received his B.Pharm. (Hons) from the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from Dalhousie University, Canada, and Ph.D. in Medical and Analytical Chemistry from Purdue University, Indiana. He is also the author and editor of three books, most recently “Therapeutic Delivery Solutions” (John Wiley & Sons, 2014), and is a Registered Pharmacist in Ontario, Canada.
Austin Freedman, B.Pharm (Hons.), MRPharmS
Director, Quality Assurance
As Director of Quality Assurance at Covar Pharmaceuticals, Austin Freedman combines his CMC leadership skills and extensive regulatory & quality experience from the innovator, generic and contract sectors to provide client solutions through all stages of drug development and commercialization.
Austin began his career at Glaxo, UK where he developed various solid and liquid products. In 1999, Austin took on a CMC leadership role in Glaxo Wellcome, Canada, managing multinational teams developing new chemical entities and line extension drugs. Austin joined Patheon Canada in 2002, where he held senior roles executing diverse client portfolios supporting clinical programs, technology transfers and regulatory submissions. In 2011, Austin joined Apotex as Director of Technical Operations, where he executed generic product launches and technology transfer process improvements in Canada, Europe and India.
Austin earned his B.Pharm. (Hons.) in 1984 from the University of London, U.K. and is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Herman Lam, Ph.D.
Scientific Advisor
Dr. Herman Lam is an expert in analytical method development and analytical technologies. He was formerly Director of Analytical Development at Covar Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Powder Coating Pharma, Inc. Dr. Lam was also a Member of the United States Pharmacopeia Reference Standards Expert Committee and Dissolution Calibration Project Teams.
Dr. Lam was a Principle Investigator at GlaxoSmithKline, Canada responsible for implementation of new analytical technologies and laboratory automation. He also established the instrument qualification, performance verification, and instrument management programs which passed numerous FDA pre-approval and GMP audits. As a former Honorary Assistant Professor, Dr. Lam collaborated with Professor Chu at the University of Hong Kong on the development of multidimensional liquid chromatography platforms and multivariate analysis of bioactivity driven MS data to identify active components in traditional medicines.
Dr. Lam received his B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, Canada and Ph.D. in Chemistry from York University, Canada. He is an author and editor of two books, “Analytical Method Validation and Instrument Performance Verification” (Wiley, 2004) and “Practical Approaches to Method Validation and Essential Instrument Qualification” (Wiley, 2010). Dr. Lam was also a former Adjunct Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, School of Pharmacy.