Mylan, a generic and specialty pharmaceutical company, has made a number of new appointments following its acquisition of Merck's Generics Group.

Heather Bresch has been appointed chief operating officer after previously serving as head of North America and chief integration officer for the company.

In the new position, Bresch, who has been with Mylan for 15 years, will be responsible for Mylan's global commercial and technical operations, strategic planning, business development and international affairs, which includes development of Mylan's antiretroviral franchise.

She will also continue to oversee the integration of Mylan's recent acquisition of Merck Generics.

Bresch has been the only non-chief executive to serve as chairman of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), serving two consecutive terms. She is widely acknowledged for playing a critical role in the passage of the 2003 Medicare Modernisation Act, a Congressional revision to the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984 that focussed on ensuring customers' access to affordable pharmaceuticals.

"At this stage in Mylan's history, it is imperative that we have a chief operating officer in place that knows our company, is a leader in the industry and has the experience and energy required to execute on the opportunities of the new Mylan. Heather is uniquely qualified for this challenging position," Mylan chief executive and vice chairman Robert Coury said.

The company has also appointed Rajiv Malik as executive vice president in charge of global technical operations.

Malik has served in a similar capacity for Mylan since the company acquired a controlling stake in Matrix Laboratories, where he is chief executive, in January this year.

As head of global technical operations, Malik will oversee the company's global research and development centres and manufacturing and distribution units, with responsibility for enhancing and rationalising Mylan's global supply chain and expanded product pipeline.

"Rajiv has been an invaluable addition to the Mylan management team since joining us in January. Since the close of the Matrix transaction, he has truly proven his capabilities and has been instrumental in the successful integration of Matrix," Coury said.

Mylan has also appointed Didier Barret to president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa and John Montgomery as president of Asia Pacific. Both previously held regional director positions at Merck Generics.

Momenta Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company specialising in the characterisation and engineering of complex drugs, announced the promotion of Steven Brugger and Ganesh Venkataraman to the newly created position of chief operating officer and chief scientific officer respectively.

Brugger has spent five years with the company.

Venkataraman, a co-founder of the company, will continue in his current position as senior vice president of research, while assuming the additional role of chief scientific officer.

"These promotions reflect the considerable talent and commitment we see throughout Momenta," Momenta president and chief executive officer Craig Wheeler said.

"Steve and Ganesh have played a critical role in building the company and I look forward to their continued contributions as we move closer toward the commercialisation of our complex generics and novel products."

Meanwhile, Jack Anthony has resigned from the board of directors at VaxGen after accepting the chief executive position offered at Osprey Pharmaceuticals.

The Osprey board has required that Anthony relinquish all corporate directorships in accepting the position.

VaxGen president and chief executive James Panek said: "Since his appointment to the board in May, Jack has lent his active and expert assistance in helping us formulate and consider various strategic alternatives. We wish him the very best, and know that he will be a tremendous asset to Osprey."

VaxGen's vacant position is yet to be filled.

Bioject Medical Technologies, a developer of needle-free drug delivery systems, announced the appointment of Ralph Makar as president and chief executive.

Makar brings 20 years of strategic leadership and marketing expertise, having worked with biotech, specialty and niche pharmaceutical companies including Berlex and Novartis.

"We are fortunate to have such a seasoned pharmaceutical veteran join the Bioject team," Bioject chairman Jerald Cobbs said.

"Mr Makar's experience with specialty pharmaceuticals will add value to the company and help us implement a new direction and focus going forward."

Specialty pharmaceutical company Othera Pharmaceuticals has appointed Frederick Rickles as chief scientific officer, who will lead development, integration and execution of Othera's research and clinical development programmes, which focus on ophthalmology, oncology and inflammatory disease products.

Rickles has 37 years of experience within the medical community and previously served as a Fellow for the Centre for Science and Technology, healthcare division of Noblis.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr Rickles to the Othera team. His broad expertise in oncology, haematology, and pharmacology will serve Othera well as we pursue our goal of becoming a leading specialty pharmaceutical company," Othera chief executive and chairman David Joseph said.

Rickles will continue to serve as clinical professor of medicine in the division of haematology-oncology, Department of Medicine at the George Washington School of Medicine.