BioDelivery Sciences (NSDQ:BDSI) said last week that its president & CEO, Mark Sirgo, plans to retire at the end of this year.

Sirgo has held the corner office at the Raleigh, N.C.-based company since 2005. He will stay on as vice chairman of the board and will help determine his successor, BioDelivery Sciences reported.

“After thirteen years of leading BDSI from a start-up through three drug approvals and the creation of a fully-integrated pharmaceutical company, highlighted by the recent reacquisition and early commercial success of Belbuca, the business is very well positioned for long-term growth,” Sirgo said in prepared remarks.

“With the outstanding team we have built and the overall strength of the business, year-end felt like the appropriate time for me to retire from my day-to-day role. Announcing my plans now allows for the timely selection and onboarding of my replacement, a proven leader with significant commercial experience, before year-end.”

“In my ongoing role as vice chairman, I will continue to offer my guidance to insure a smooth and thoughtful management transition while also providing strategic insight for the growth of BDSI, as we continue to focus and execute on our commercial strategy.  In addition, during the next several months, I will be working with our experienced management team to achieve the goals I publicly outlined earlier this year, the most important of which are hitting our revenue target and continuing to evaluate strategic opportunities to enhance shareholder value.”

Sirgo previously served as co-founder of Arius Pharmaceuticals, which merged with BioDelivery Sciences in 2004. That acquisition brought the company its bioerodible mucoadhesive film technology – the platform for the company’s product pipeline.

Sirgo helped the company bring its Onsolis, Bunavail and Belbuca buccal films to market and ink partnership deals with companies like Endo Pharmaceuticals and Meda Pharmaceuticals.

“Mark’s accomplishments during his tenure reflect his commitment to hard work, a continual focus on building a quality pharmaceutical company and unwavering dedication to creating shareholder value,” chairman Dr. Frank O’Donnell added.  “Mark’s leadership and vision for drug development, much of which has been built from the Bema platform that was acquired when Mark joined BDSI, have been instrumental to BDSI’s growth, including three successful drug approvals and the launch of a full commercial organization.  We thank Mark for his innumerable contributions to BDSI and look forward to Mark’s continued leadership through this transition and his continued guidance as vice chairman.”

 Novartis exec joins Proteus Digital Health as CFO
Proteus Digital Health said last week that former-Novartis (NYSE:NVS) executive Uneek Mehra has been named as the company’s chief financial officer.

In his role as CFO, Mehra will help lead the the finance team as Proteus seeks to expand its commercial footprint in the U.S. and Asia, the company said.

“R&D productivity in pharma – the key to industry viability – has been halving every 7 years for 5 decades. Joining Proteus on the cusp of defining a new therapeutic category that integrates silicon and software into the pharmaceutical industry’s products and innovation tool kit is a tremendous opportunity to reverse that trend. I am delighted to join the company as chief financial officer,” Mehra said in prepared remarks. “Now is the perfect time for Proteus to accelerate its leadership position in the development and commercialization of digital medicines.”
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 SteadyMed Therapeutics names VP of medical affairs
SteadyMed (NSDQ:STDY) last month named Dr. Jeff Myers as VP of medical affairs.

Previously, Myers worked as Gilead Sciences as the senior medical director and global lead for the company’s cardio-pulmonary products. At SteadyMed, he will be responsible for scientific and medical operations in support of commercializing the company’s lead candidate, Trevyent.

“SteadyMed has a track record of attracting outstanding employees and we are very pleased to welcome Jeff onto our team. Jeff’s expertise in the cardiovascular space and specific expertise in the PAH space, in both academia and industry, will be invaluable to SteadyMed as we seek to bring Trevyent to patients suffering from PAH,” executive VP & COO Peter Noymer said in prepared remarks.

“The recent submission of the new drug application for Trevyent marked a major milestone for SteadyMed, and I am enthused by what the future holds. I look forward to contributing to the company’s future success,” Myers added.
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 Shire chief financial exec departs
Shire (NSDQ:SHPG) said earlier this month that its CFO will leave the pharmaceutical company at the end of the year.

Jeff Poulton is leaving to serve as CFO for a Boston-based start-up, Indigo Ag, that leverages the plant microbiome to improve the sustainability and productivity of agriculture, Shire said.

“It is with regret that we announce Jeff’s upcoming departure. Having held numerous roles within the company, Jeff has demonstrated steadfast commitment to Shire through a very intense period of activity and has made significant contributions to our organization,” CEO Dr. Flemming Ornskov said in prepared remarks. “Jeff will continue to lead the Shire Finance team through the Q3 reporting period and to the end of the year, and will play an active role in the search for his successor. On behalf of all Shire employees, we are grateful to Jeff for his dedication and leadership and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”

“It has been a privilege to work for Shire and to have played a part in the exceptional growth story of such an inspirational company. It has been a difficult decision, but in departing Shire, I wanted to join a smaller organization where I can play a role in building a new company,” Poulton added. “As Shire finalizes the integration of Baxalta and focusses on paying down debt, this also presents a perfect time for me to begin this transition. I know I leave Shire well positioned to pursue its strategy and deliver value for shareholders, supported by a strong finance team.”
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 Ocular hires SVP of regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance & quality
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) said earlier this month that it named Daniel Bollag as SVP of regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance and quality.

Eric Ankerud, who was the company’s EVP of regulatory, quality and compliance, is slated to transition out of that role, but remain with the company as a senior advisor.

The personnel change comes after the company faced an array of regulatory problems, including the FDA denying the new drug application for its hydrogel plug, Dextenza.

“We are excited a professional of Dan’s caliber will be joining us at Ocular,” CEO Antony Mattessich said in prepared remarks. “Dan brings a proven track record of complex global regulatory management and accomplishments in both large and small pharmaceutical company settings. He is a key part of our evolution into a true biopharmaceutical company. Dan’s expertise will be critical as we work towards resubmitting our new drug application (NDA) for Dextenza while continuing to advance our additional development programs.”
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• Moderna hires Novartis exec to head manufacturing
• Insulet adds Minogue, Mullen to board
• Pieris names CFO
• Anika hires regulatory, clinical affairs exec
• Merrimack names Franchi as chief financial exec

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