Speakers

Rikin “Rik” Mehta is the Cofounder and CEO of Lactiga US, Inc. Rik is an American entrepreneur, innovator, healthcare policy expert, adjunct health law professor and a licensed pharmacist and attorney. He was also the 2020 nominee for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey becoming the first Asian-American statewide candidate in NJ history and breaking the state’s record for the highest number of votes for his party. Professionally, Rik served at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the Deputy Director for the Division of Medical Policy, working on policies to expedite the approval of safe and effective drugs and increase access to medicines for undertreated diseases. During his FDA tenure, Rik also served as a Consumer Safety Officer and FDA Senior Advisor for Globalization to further the fight against counterfeit, unapproved and dangerous medicines to protect the American drug supply chain. After his tenure at FDA, Rik took a position as the second in command at the D.C. Department of Health where he was the chief of enforcement while also serving as the Executive Director of the Board of Medicine. After leaving government, Rik joined the life sciences industry as an executive overseeing multiple rare disease programs to FDA approval and commercialization. Dr. Mehta received his B.S. from Rutgers, Pharm.D. from U. of Arkansas, J.D. from Rutgers Law and a LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.