Newron Announces change in Management
Milan, Italy – May 14, 2012 ‐ Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron"), a research and development company focused on novel CNS and pain therapies announces changes in its management team with the departure of Luca Benatti, CEO, effective as of May 31, 2012. Luca Benatti, founder and Newron´s CEO since 1999, will leave the company to pursue other
opportunities, having overseen the completion of the Phase III program for safinamide and a new partnership, also announced today, with Zambon. During Dr Benatti's tenure, Newron evolved from a private, discovery‐stage biotech company through one of the most successful European IPO's within the sector in 2006, to a late‐stage biopharmaceutical company operating in a very challenging environment.
As a result of Dr Benatti's decision to leave Newron, the new management team will be comprised of Stefan Weber, CEO and member of the Board of Directors, who has been Newron's CFO since 2005; Ravi Anand, MD, its Chief Medical Officer since 2005, Marco Caremi, Executive Vice President Business Development, and Roberto Galli, Vice President Finance, both with the company since 2002. Rolf Stahel, Patrick Langlois, Francesco Parenti, Hanns Moehler and Stefan Weber will serve on Newron's Board of Directors. Rolf Stahel, Chairman of the Board, commented, "Luca has been an integral part in the development of Newron from its inception, steering the company through a number of challenges to the stage where it is now progressing towards the filing of safinamide for Parkinson's Disease in both the US and EU. Luca and Stefan have both been instrumental in directing Newron through the very challenging period of the last few months and, as a result, we now have a much strengthened platform on which to take Newron forward. We wish Luca every success for the future."
Mr Stahel continued, "The senior management team of Newron has demonstrated exceptional skill in managing the switch of a late‐stage CNS product from one partner to two new partners and I have every confidence in Stefan's leadership to ensure a strong collaboration with Zambon and to take Newron to the next stage of its potential."
For more information, contact:
Media Investors and analysts
Italy
Luca Benatti - CEO
Phone: +39 02 6103 46 26
E-mail: [email protected]
Stefan Weber - CFO
Phone: +39 02 6103 46 30
E-mail: [email protected]
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UK/Global media
Julia Phillips
FTI Consulting
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7269 7187
Switzerland
Martin Meier-Pfister
IRF Communications
Phone: +41 43 244 81 40