Today the Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ANTH) Board of
Directors announced J. Craig Thompson has been promoted to Chief
Executive Officer. Mr. Thompson has also been appointed to
serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company.
Paul Truex has stepped down from the CEO role and been appointed to
the newly created role of Executive Chairman, where he will assume
the responsibilities of the Chairman of the Board and continue to
provide guidance to Anthera’s senior executive team.
Concurrent with the leadership transition, Dr. Christopher
Henney has stepped down as Chairman of the Board after more than 10
years of service to the Company in this role but will remain a
member of Anthera’s Board of Directors
“The addition of Craig at the beginning of this year has allowed
the Company to incorporate commercial readiness planning into our
development efforts. Over the past twelve months Craig has
proven his ability to lead and to fully integrate his experiences
into the operation of Anthera,” continued Mr. Truex. “His
appointment prepares us for the commercialization of Sollpura and
continued development of blisibimod for IgA nephropathy. I am
confident Anthera will continue to thrive with the expansion of
Craig’s leadership."
“We have been extremely fortunate to have had access to the
guidance and experiences of Dr. Henney over the past decade,”
commented Paul Truex. “Chris’s willingness to go the extra
mile to advance the Company has been an inspiration to all of
us. We are grateful he will remain on our board to provide
his insights and further mentor our team.”
“I am extremely proud of what our team has accomplished and I
look forward to executing on our strategy to commercialize Sollpura
while further exploring opportunities for blisibimod,” commented
Craig Thompson. “This is an exciting time for Anthera with
new data emerging on both Sollpura and blisibimod, which could
transform the Company’s future.”
Following the recent announcement of data from the Phase 2 Proof
of Concept Study in IgA Nephropathy with blisibimod, Anthera plans
to announce Phase 3 clinical trial results from the Sollpura
SOLUTION program before the end of December.
About J. Craig ThompsonCraig joined Anthera
with over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and
healthcare industries. He has a proven track record in product
development, global brand management, product positioning, access
and reimbursement, including the strategic marketing of a number of
industry-leading drugs.
Prior to Anthera, Mr. Thompson was the Chief Operating Officer
for Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:TTPH) where he oversaw the
development and implementation of the marketing, access &
reimbursement and sales strategy as well as the business
development and the commercial manufacturing for Tetraphase.
Prior to Tetraphase, Mr. Thompson served as Chief Commercial
Officer for Trius Therapeutics through the acquisition of Trius by
Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in September 2013. He led the planning
of the commercial strategy, was actively involved in negotiating a
regional partnership with Bayer as well as in the acquisition of
the Trius by Cubist. During his tenure, he participated in three
rounds of financing which raised approximately $115 MM.
Prior to Trius, Mr. Thompson served in various global and U.S.
commercial roles at Pfizer Inc. from 2003 to December 2010
ultimately serving as Vice President of Marketing for Pfizer’s
Specialty Care Business Unit, where he was directly responsible for
the U.S. commercial strategy for a portfolio of products with more
than $1.5 billion in annual U.S. sales. From 1992 to 2003, Mr.
Thompson served in positions of increasing responsibility at Merck
& Co., Inc., where most notably he worked on commercial
planning and marketing activities for the company’s major
cardiovascular brands.
Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from McMaster
University and an M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
About Paul TruexMr. Truex served as Director
and Chief Executive Officer since the inception of Anthera in 2004.
He was responsible for negotiating Anthera’s product licenses for
both blisibimod, an anti-BAFF peptibody from Amgen, and recently,
Sollpura™(liprotamase), a novel enzyme replacement product from Eli
Lilly and Company. During his career, Mr. Truex has been involved
with over $500 million in private, public and debt financings and
over $1 billion in various strategic in-licensing, out-licensing
and merger/acquisition transactions. Mr. Truex is a member of
the Indiana University West Coast Advisory Board for the Johnson
Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is a member of the Board
of Directors of Milestone Pharmaceuticals Limited (Chairman),
CymaBay Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CBAY), LQT Therapeutics and involved
as an advisor to a number of early stage ventures in multiple
industries. His past board appointments include Peninsula
Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Johnson and Johnson), Trius
Therapeutics (acquired by Cubist Pharmaceuticals), Eiger
Biopharmaceuticals, and Protagonist Therapeutics.
About Chris HenneyDr. Henney has served as the
Chairman of our board of directors since August 2008 and has been a
member of Anthera’s Board of Directors since April 2005. Dr. Henney
served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dendreon
Corporation, a biotechnology company he co-founded, from 1997 until
his retirement in July 2004. Dr. Henney was previously a
founder of Immunex Corp. and ICOS Corp. Dr. Henney is
currently the Chairman and a director of Cascadian Therapeutics,
Inc. (formerly Oncothyreon, Inc.), is vice-chairman and a director
of Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYCC), and is a director
of Prothena Corporation (Nasdaq:PRTA). Dr. Henney holds a
B.Sc. with honors in medical biochemistry, a Ph.D. in experimental
pathology and a D.Sc. for contributions to the field of immunology,
all from the University of Birmingham, England.
About Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Anthera
Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on
developing and commercializing products to treat serious and
life-threatening diseases, including exocrine pancreatic
insufficiency due to cystic fibrosis, IgA nephropathy, lupus, and
lupus with glomerulonephritis. Additional information on the
Company can be found at www.anthera.com.
Safe Harbor StatementAny statements contained
in this press release that refer to future events or other
non-historical matters, including statements that are preceded by,
followed by, or that include such words as "estimate," "intend,"
"anticipate," "believe," "plan," "goal," "expect," "project," or
similar statements, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on
Anthera's expectations as of the date of this press release and are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially as set forth in Anthera's public
filings with the SEC, including Anthera's Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Anthera disclaims
any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements,
whether because of new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by applicable law.
Contact Information:
Nikhil Agarwal of Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
nagarwal@anthera.com or 510.856.5600 x5621
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