Ligand Pharmaceuticals has named John L. Higgins CEO, president and a member of the board of directors. Higgins succeeds Henry F. Blissenbach who has served as chairman and interim CEO since August 2006. Blissenbach will continue as chairman of the board.
Emisphere Technologies fired Michael Goldberg as CEO and chairman. No reason was given for the termination.
Epigenomics has appointed Geert Walther Nygaard as the company's new CEO.
Reliant Pharmaceuticals has hired Bradley T. Sheares, Ph.D. as its new CEO. Dr. Sheares succeeds Ernest Mario, Ph.D. who has served as chairman and CEO since 2003. Dr. Mario will continue to serve on the board of directors as its chairman. Dr. Sheares joins Reliant from Merck, where he most recently was president of U.S. Human Health.
IRX Therapeutics has named John W. Hadden II as president and CEO. He had previously been COO.
Avantium Technologies B.V. has appointed Frank Roerink as CFO.
James Nash has joined Napo Pharmaceuticals as its COO.
Pluristem Life Systems has hired William R. Prather, RPh, M. D., to serve as the company's senior VP of corporate development.
Jayne Berkaw has been named director of marketing and communications of MichBio.
Oramed Pharmaceutical has added Prof. Itamar Raz to its established scientific advisory board.
John F. Smyth, M.D., professor of medical oncology, Cancer Research Centre, University of Edinburgh and president of the Federation of European Cancer Societies and ECCO 2007, has joined Ziopharm's medical advisory board.
Neurochem has named John Bernbach to the board of directors.
NuPathe has elected Michael Cola, president, specialty pharmaceutical business, Shire Pharmaceuticals, to the NuPathe board.
Oxis International has appointed Matt Spolar to its board of directors.
StemCells has elected Desmond H. O'Connell, Jr., to its board of directors.