Biopharma firm Cadence Pharmaceuticals has named a new head of regulatory affairs and QA, appointing Malvina Laudicina to take up the position.

In her new role, Laudicina will lead the regulatory and quality assurance activities for the company's two ongoing Phase III clinical development programmes.

Laudicina joins Cadence from Pfizer, where she held senior regulatory positions and was involved in safety and risk management activities at the company's La Jolla site. Prior to her position at Pfizer, Laudincina held senior regulatory and clinical research positions at Prometheus Laboratories, Dura Pharmaceuticals and Schering-Plough.

Mylan Laboratories recently announced the appointment of a new senior vice president and chief compliance officer, naming former Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) employee Fabiana Lacerca as the new incumbent.

Lacerca brings her experience from her role as director of compliance for Latin America, Canada and Puerto Rico at BMS to Mylan, as well as senior counsel positions with Merck & Co., AT&T and Microsoft.

Philadelphia-based speciality pharma firm Cardiokine has announced that its CEO and president David Brand will be leaving the company.

Having joined the company in 2004, Brand previously held a number of positions at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he worked for a total of 30 years before moving to Cardiokine. The company's board is expected t make an announcement regarding Brand's replacement shortly.

The NeoStrata Company has named it new vice president of operations, with Peter Crisafulli due to take on the position at the New Jersey firm.

Crisafulli brings many years' experience in manufacturing to his new role, having spent 14 years in operational positions at Revlon before most recently acting as a consultant to Johnson & Johnson.

Crisafulli also spent 16 years at Ciba-Geigy, including a stint as vice president of manufacturing.

Anika Therapeutics has also announced a vice president of operations, this week appointing Randall Wilhoite to the position.

Wilhoite has been promoted from his former position as the company's director of operations, which he has held since January 2006. He will be succeeding Frank Luppino, who is soon to leave Anika to take up a position with another pharmaceutical firm.

Wilhoite will take over as the company establishes its manufacturing and operations at its Bedford facility, currently under construction.