Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Names George Horner as Chairman of the Board
Pharmaceutical Industry Veteran Joins Omthera in Effort to Advance Dyslipidemia Therapy
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceuticals company, today announced the appointment of George F. Horner III as chairman of the board of directors. Mr. Horner will work closely with Omthera president and CEO Jerry Wisler to advance the clinical development of dyslipidemia therapies including Omthera's lead product candidate EpanovaTM, a prescription Omega 3 fatty acid therapy.
"I am pleased to join Omthera in the development of new dyslipidemia therapies, beginning with our triglyceride drug candidate Epanova"
."George's extensive experience guiding early-stage biopharmaceutical companies will be an invaluable asset in driving Omthera's growth as we work to bring our prescription Omega 3 drug candidate, Epanova, to market," said Jerry Wisler, co-founder, president and CEO of Omthera. "In light of recent clinical findings regarding current triglyceride management therapies, the need to provide doctors and patients with safe and effective alternatives for reaching triglyceride goals is clearer than ever."
Mr. Horner has over 40 years of experience in the life science industry in sales, marketing, and business development roles, and as a CEO and general manager in both the US and overseas. He is currently an independent director working with venture capital in private biopharmaceutical companies. Previously, Mr. Horner served as CEO of Prestwick Pharmaceuticals where he led the company to FDA-approval of tetrabenazine (TBZ), the first drug approved in the United States to treat Huntington's disease patients. He oversaw the company's subsequent sale to Biovail Corp. and Ovation Pharmaceuticals in 2008. Prior to Prestwick, he was president, CEO and member of the board of directors at Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. where he helped transform the $12 million privately-funded anti-infective company into an enterprise acquired by Pfizer in 2005 for $1.9 billion.
"I am pleased to join Omthera in the development of new dyslipidemia therapies, beginning with our triglyceride drug candidate Epanova," said Mr. Horner. "The prescription Omega 3 market is experiencing robust growth with support from thought leaders and physicians. I have great confidence that our capable management team will succeed in bringing this new therapy to the patients who need it."
Epanova, Omthera's lead product candidate, a prescription free fatty acid form of Omega-3, is expected to provide unique absorption characteristics and bioavailability versus the ethyl ester form found in prescription Omega-3s currently available.
Mr. Horner previously served as vice president of Commercial Operations for Ligand Pharmaceuticals. Prior to his role at Ligand, Mr. Horner spent 17 years at Abbott Laboratories, where he held numerous executive, general management and business development positions and served as general manager of a number of the company's overseas regions including Canada, Latin America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa and Southeast Asia. In addition to Omthera, Mr. Horner currently sits on the board of directors for both Creabilis Therapeutics in Geneva, Switzerland, and Durata Therapeutics, Inc., in New York.
About Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceuticals company with an experienced team of experts in drug development focusing its efforts on the clinical development of new therapies for dyslipidemia. The lead product candidate is EpanovaTM, an Omega-3 fatty acid containing a novel formulation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Omthera holds worldwide rights to Epanova. For more information visit www.omthera.com.
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