ATHLONE, Ireland -- Innocoll AG (NASDAQ:INNL) announced that Rich Fante has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Business Development effectiveAugust 20, 2015. The addition of this role to the senior management team is an additional step in the transition of the company to a commercial-stage, fully-integrated specialty pharmaceutical company.
"Our two lead product candidates, Cogenzia and XaraColl, are rapidly progressing in advanced clinical development so we need the additional skills and experience to finalize and execute on our commercial strategies for both products in the near-term," said Tony Zook, Chief Executive Officer of Innocoll. "The addition of Rich Fante to our executive team adds the critical skills and commercial experience we need to ensure commercial success. Cogenzia, currently in Phase 3 trials, recently received Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation from the FDA, which may lead to a priority review and accelerated time to market. We also anticipate initiating Phase 3 trials for XaraColl this quarter. Both sets of pivotal trials are expected to read out data in 2016. Rich's joining the team is timely."
Mr. Fante has deep experience in the management and execution of commercial product strategies in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, he was founder and president of RF Consulting, a firm that assists emerging biopharmaceutical companies in their commercialization efforts. Prior to founding RF Consulting, Mr. Fante spent over nineteen years at AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals in the United States, where he served a number of rolls, most recently as President of its U.S. business, CEO North America and Regional Vice President of the Americas. During his tenure at AstraZeneca, the company became the second largest pharmaceutical company in the U.S. He helped to build some of the most successful brands in pharmaceutical industry history including Nexium®, Crestor®, Symbicort®, Arimidex®, Seroquel® and Prilosec®. Before joining AstraZeneca in January 1995, Mr. Fante began his career in pharmaceutical sales and marketing as a sales representative followed by brand management at Lederle Laboratories. Mr. Fante has served as Board Chairman of the National Pharmaceutical Council and was a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science Roundtable on Value and Science. Mr. Fante is currently a non-executive director of the privately held biotech company Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Fante received his B.A. in Biology from Princeton University and his M.B.A. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"Innocoll's late stage product pipeline represents an ideal opportunity to begin to engage with the market," said Mr. Fante. "The promise of the company's products and the experience of the leadership team are a clear combination of factors for commercial success, and I'm pleased to be in the position to make a contribution to the company's transition."
About Innocoll AG
Innocoll is a global, commercial-stage, specialty pharmaceutical company. The company develops and manufactures a range of pharmaceutical products and medical devices using its proprietary collagen-based technologies. The company's late stage product pipeline is focused on addressing a number of large unmet medical needs, including: XaraColl® for the treatment of post-operative pain; Cogenzia® for the adjuvant treatment of diabetic foot infections; and CollaGUARD®, a barrier for the prevention of post-surgical adhesions. The company's approved products include: CollaGUARD(Ex-US), Collatamp® G, Septocoll®, RegenePro®, Collieva®, CollaCare®, Collexa®, and Zorpreva™, which are sold through strategic partnerships with various partners including Takeda, Biomet, and EUSA Pharma. All of the company's products and product candidates are made using Type 1 collagen and are manufactured in-house at its facility in Saal, Germany. CollaRx®, Collatamp®, CollaGUARD®, Collieva®, CollaCare®, Collexa®, Cogenzia® LidoColl®, LiquiColl®, Septocoll®, and XaraColl® are registered trademarks, and CollaPress™, DermaSil™, Durieva™, and Zorpreva™ are trademarks of the company.