For Dr. David Adair, there was a period when it appeared that his investment of time, treasure and genuine concern might all have been for naught. Instead, the twists of fate and his willingness to persevere pushed his pioneering research to the brink of a startling breakthrough.
A maternal-fetal medicine specialist with Regional Obstetrical Consultants, Dr. Adair has lived in Chattanooga with Lisa, his wife of 17 years, since 1998. They have three children, 15-year-old daughter Darby, 11-year-old son Aidan, and 6-year-old son Bryn. Aside from serving as CEO of Regional Obstetrical Consultants, he is director of Women’s Services at Erlanger Hospital, and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, serving as vice chair of the department locally.
In 1999, Dr. Adair and Dr. Joseph Kipikasa established Regional Obstetrical Consultants (ROC) in Chattanooga, which consults with area obstetricians on the best treatment for high-risk pregnancies. Today ROC has six maternal-fetal specialists and has pioneered the use of telemedicine networks, which use high-speed broadband connectivity, specialized computer video equipment and digital medical devices to connect specialists in urban areas with rural, high-risk pregnancy patients and their physicians. The networks allow doctors to share real-time medical data and perform remote consultations over a secure, private network throughout Tennessee, North Georgia and Western North Carolina.
Dr. Adair’s curiosity for research and new technologies was peaked during a fellowship at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University. He now devotes a large portion of his time to developing new technology. “I was going to do the fellowship, and one of my mentors said to make sure that I worked on a problem that would cause people to say, ‘Call Dave Adair! He’s the expert in that,’” the doctor remembers.
“Everything I could find had already been taken, but I kept on digging and found something I thought had been dismissed because we didn’t have the technology,” he says. “From there, I said we would try to solve the problem like a mathematical conundrum. That was 1992, and today, after only 18 years, it has become an overnight success.”
The success he speaks of, a drug named Digibind, is literally poised to save lives. Adair researched the drug Digibind, which has been associated with the treatment of cardiovascular disease for some time and determined that it may play a role in the treatment of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition in which pregnant women develop extremely high blood pressure. It is a leading cause of death for mothers and babies worldwide and is responsible for thousands of premature births annually.
Phase II clinical trials for Digibind are complete. Now, Dr. Adair’s company, Glenveigh Pharmaceuticals, is partnering with others to bring the drug to marke following the completion of Phase III trials, which are anticipated to start sometime later this year to early 2011.
Digibind is only one in a series of innovations which Dr. Adair has played a role in developing or taking to market. The first product launched by Glenveigh will be the Belfort-Dildy Obstetric Tamponade System (OTS), designed by doctors with the Maternal-Fetal Medicine program at the University of Utah. The OTS curtails bleeding following obstetrical delivery.
“We are working through Glenveigh to have three products launched this year,” Dr. Adair comments, “and we want to grow the company. There are a lot of bright people out there with great ideas, but no sounding board. Doctors see things every day and then let them go because the challenge is daunting.”
David Adair knows whereof he speaks. The path to success for Digibind has been replete with twists and turns. In 1998, funding for his research while at the Louisiana State University Medical School evaporated. He believed in his work so much that he sold his grandfather’s watch to keep going and returned to clinical practice. News of a job with the UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga brought the family to the city that year.
“We were robbing Peter to pay Paul at that point,” the doctor recalls. “The chips were down, and we had several friends who stepped up. You really find out who your true friends are when you are down. We put everything on the line, and I had it all in as they say in Las Vegas. I felt the good Lord wanted me to continue with the research and it was my calling to see it through. The scripture says, ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).’”
The real turning point for Dr. Adair and Digibind occurred after a decade of persistent, uphill struggle. He was invited to a gathering in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park where he described his research.
“I had put all my stuff in boxes and was prepared to put them away,” he remarks. “Then GlaxoSmithKline said they would get behind the effort. I had been to them three times previously. They would seem to get interested but not really get on board. A summer intern dug up my proposal and went to management, telling them that they might have overlooked something that could be really good.”
GlaxoSmithKline invested in the future of Digibind, and Dr. Adair says some “local angels” have also helped with funding. “When people talk about medication, the expense is not the actual pill,” explains Dr. Adair. “It is all the work that goes into that pill getting to market. It’s a very complicated business.”
Of course, the greatest incentive to persevere has been the knowledge that one in eight births in the state of Tennessee is premature. Lives are at stake, and millions of dollars are spent annually treating seriously ill mothers and high-risk babies.
Dr. Adair credits those around him with helping him to achieve the success realized so far. Glenveigh has succeeded because of its ability to attract the best talent available, including Richard Proctor as CEO, Mark Hackett as legal counsel, Jeffrey Smith as VP of operations, and marketing guru, Jeff Bradford. All believed early and often in the goodness of the work being done for mothers and babies.
“The most important thing has been to surround ourselves with very bright and good people,” Adair says. “The second has been a hands-on approach and a 30,000-foot view of things. I can’t say enough about all the people who keep me apprised of what is going on. The biggest support has been my family. They have always been there.”
Dr. Adair has been recognized on numerous occasions for his philanthropy and community involvement. “The March of Dimes is dear to our hearts at both ROC and Glenveigh,” he says.
“I’m not a native of Chattanooga, but I can control where I live and die,” he concludes. “Our family loves this city, and I would love to help build a biotech incubator here. We have a small anchor group trying to attract biotech companies with good paying jobs to Chattanooga. We have a great opportunity to do that.”
Dr. Adair’s proven track record of bringing ideas, experience and technology together have helped to make his dreams reality. It is certain that the future holds great promise for Dr. Adair and Glenveigh and for all the women and babies that will benefit from his medical advances.