Vernalis plc Announces Key Appointments to its U.S. Commercial Organization
4 April 2006
Vernalis plc (LSE: VER, Nasdaq: VNLS), a speciality bio-pharmaceutical and drug development company, today announced two senior appointments to its US commercial organization. Rick A. Henson joins Vernalis as Vice President, US Sales responsible for the sales organization which markets the Company’s Parkinson’s disease drug, Apokyn® and co-promotes the Company’s migraine drug, Frova®, along with its licensing partner Endo Pharmaceuticals. Joseph Canny has also been appointed as Vice President, Marketing for Vernalis and will be responsible for developing the marketing strategy for the Company’s pipeline products including Apokyn®.
Mr. Henson brings a wealth of pharmaceutical and biotech experience to Vernalis, with over twenty-five years in the industry, much of this time in senior leadership positions. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Sales with Andrx Labs LLC where he built a sales division of over 500 representatives, managed the acquisition of the Entex® product line and coordinated the launch of Altoprev. Prior to working at Andrx, he was Chief Operating Officer at Vicus.com, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PharmaPrint, Inc. and President at CoCensys, Inc., a start up CNS development and commercial company which was subsequently acquired by Watson Laboratories Inc.
Mr. Canny brings over twenty years of pharmaceutical sales and marketing experience to Vernalis. He has held progressively senior positions throughout his career, most recently as Executive Director of Marketing at Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. At Watson, Mr Canny was recognized for his leadership role in gaining Medicare reimbursement coverage for the company’s key injectable products and improving their competitive position. His experience also includes Director of Global Commercial Development, Neurology at Pharmacia focused on specialty products, including those for Parkinson’s disease and pain management.
Sylvia McBrinn, Senior Vice President, US Operations at Vernalis, said, “We are delighted to have two such experienced industry professionals join our team. Rick’s experience with start-up sales organizations will be invaluable to the launch and development of our sales presence in the US and Joe’s marketing expertise and particular knowledge of the Parkinson’s disease market will be a significant asset as we build Vernalis’ franchise.”
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Enquiries:
Vernalis plc +44 (0) 118 977 3133
Simon Sturge, Chief Executive Officer
Tony Weir, Chief Financial Officer
Julia Wilson, Head of Corporate Communications
Brunswick Group +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
Jon Coles
Wendel Verbeek
Notes to Editors
Rick Henson
Rick Henson was Senior Vice President of Sales with Andrx Labs from 2001 to 2005 where he built a 500+ person sales division, managed the acquisition of the Entex® product line and the launch of Altoprev. Prior to this role, he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PharmaPrint, Inc. from 1999 to 2000 and then Chief Operating Officer at Vicus.com from 2000 to 2001, a start up organization focused on the manufacture and delivery of a pharmaceutical-grade botanicals product line. As President at CoCensys, Inc., from 1994 to 1997, a start up CNS development and commercial company, Mr. Henson was responsible for negotiation of key strategic alliances and corporate acquisitions. When CoCensys was acquired by Watson Laboratories, he remained at Watson as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Earlier in his career, Mr. Henson held various management positions at Ciba-Gigy Pharmaceuticals and Boehringer Ingleheim.
Joseph Canny
Mr. Canny was most recently Executive Director of Marketing at Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2004 to 2005 where he led the team that gained reimbursement coverage for the company’s key injectable products. His experience also includes Director of Marketing at Watson Pharmaceuticals in 2003 and Director of Global Commercial Development, Neurology at Pharmacia from 2001 to 2003 focused on specialty products including those for Parkinson’s disease and pain. While with Pharmacia, he led the Cabaser® global team to the brand’s first $100 million year. At the start of his career, Mr. Canny worked for Hoechst Marion Roussel in a variety of sales and professional education positions.
About Vernalis
Vernalis is a speciality bio-pharmaceutical company focused on products marketed to specialist neurologists. The Company has two marketed products, Frova® and Apokyn®, and a development pipeline focused on neurology and central nervous system disorders. The company has seven products in clinical development and collaborations with leading, global pharmaceutical companies including Novartis, Biogen Idec and Serono. Vernalis has established a U.S. commercial operation to promote Apokyn® and co-promote Frova® alongside its North American licensing partner, Endo Pharmaceuticals, propelling the Company towards its goal of becoming a sustainable, self-funding, R&D-driven, speciality bio-pharmaceutical company. For further information about Vernalis, please visit www.vernalis.com.
Safe Harbour statement: this news release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors including the success of the Company’s research strategies, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the successful integration of completed mergers and acquisitions and achievement of expected synergies from such transactions and the ability of the Company to identify and consummate suitable strategic and business combination transactions.
