Pharmaceutical manufacturing: People on the move

Xcellerex, Intranasal Therapeutics, Emisphere, Catalyst Pharmaceutical and Amgen have all had people on the move in the world of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Manufacturing services and systems provider Xcellerex this week announced the appointment of John Chickosky as chief operating officer. Coming from senior positions in a number of life science equipment firms, Chickosky will focus on accelerating commercialisation plans for Xcellerex's disposable bioreactor products and the firm's integrated manufacturing system for vaccines and biotherapeutics.

Meanwhile, US firm Intranasal Therapeutics has a new president and chief executive officer in the form of Peter Young, formerly president and CEO of biotech firm AlphaVax.

Intranasal Therapeutics is a specialty pharma firm focused on developing nasally delivered drug products, particularly for pain and central nervous system disorders. Young will take the helm as the company is preparing to launch its proprietary hydromorphone nasal spray for acute pain, and advance its catalogue of other intranasally delivered therapies.

Previous positions include roles at a number of large pharmaceutical firms such as Abbott, a variety of Glaxo entities and Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals.

Emisphere Technologies, a biopharmaceutical developing oral formulations of otherwise injectable drugs, also announced a change at the top this week. Michael Novinski was named as the firm's new president and CEO effective immediately.

Formerly president of Organon USA (recently part of the package acquired by Schering-Plough for €11bn), Novinski will assume his duties as of early May and replaces Lewis Bender who has been acting as interim CEO since January this year. Bender will continue as acting CEO until Novinski "brings Emisphere to a significant level of leadership and experience in the development of pharmaceutical products," according to the company.

Steven Miller, former executive director of R&D operations at Watson laboratories, has been appointed vice president of pharmaceutical development and project management at Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners in the US.

In this role Miller will be responsible for all aspects of Catalyst's chemistry and manufacturing controls, quality systems, contract operations and development planning, and will take up the post immediately.

Catalyst is a specialty pharma firm focused on the development and commercialisation of prescription drugs for the treatment of addiction. Having already worked with Miller in a previous position, CEO Patrick McEnany is confident in Miller's ability to help push the company forward as they continue development of their lead product for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction.

US biotech firm Amgen has also announced a shift at the top of the tree, with Robert Bradway moving from his previous position as vice president, operations strategy which he took up just last year, to executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Bradway replaces Richard Nanula, who will remain will the company for a further 90 days to assist in the transition.