REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2009--
A.P. Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:APPA), a specialty pharmaceutical company,
today announced that John B. Whelan has been appointed to the role of
vice president, finance and chief financial officer effective February
23, 2009. Mr. Whelan replaces Gregory Turnbull, who was serving as
interim chief financial officer and will remain a company director and a
member of the board's executive committee.
“John’s expertise in financial operations and significant general
management experience make him a valuable asset and addition to A.P.
Pharma’s management team,” stated Ronald J. Prentki, A.P. Pharma’s
president and chief executive officer.
Mr. Prentki continued, “I would also like to thank Greg Turnbull for his
contributions as interim CFO, and although we will miss his involvement
with the company’s daily activities we are fortunate that we will
continue to benefit from his contributions as a member of our board of
directors.”
Prior to joining A.P. Pharma, Mr. Whelan was chief operating officer and
chief financial officer at Raven biotechnologies, where he oversaw the
finance function as well as having broad operational responsibilities.
While at Raven, Mr. Whelan helped secure over $100MM in financing, form
collaborations with Wyeth, Abbott and ICOS, advance its lead cancer
program into a phase 2 clinical trial, and complete the sale of the
company. Prior to Raven he was vice president and chief financial
officer at Eos Biotechnology, where he was responsible for finance,
business development, and administration. Previously, Mr. Whelan held a
number of ascending management positions at Hewlett Packard/Agilent,
culminating in his tenure as director of corporate development, during
which he led the consummation of numerous acquisitions, investments, and
collaborations with companies in the life sciences, medical devices, and
computing industries. Mr. Whelan has a BS in Engineering from the
University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the Anderson Graduate
School of Management at UCLA.
“A.P. Pharma has a strong management team, and I am excited to be
joining them,” stated Mr. Whelan. “I look forward to working closely
with the team as we progress the Company’s lead program, APF530, to a
successful NDA submission, partnership and commercialization, while
continuing to create long-term shareholder value through the advancement
of a robust pipeline based on A.P. Pharma’s proprietary Biochronomer™
technology.”
About A.P. Pharma
A.P. Pharma is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the
development of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals utilizing its
proprietary polymer-based drug delivery systems. The company is focused
on the development and commercialization of its bioerodible injectable
and implantable systems under the trade name Biochronomer™. Initial
target areas of application for the company's drug delivery technology
include anti-nausea, where its lead product APF530 is being developed to
prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), pain
management, anti-inflammation and DNA/RNAI applications. For further
information visit the company's web site at www.appharma.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined by
the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties
associated with timely development, approval, launch and acceptance of
new products, establishment of new corporate partnerships, and other
risks and uncertainties identified in the Company’s filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution investors that
forward-looking statements reflect our analysis only on their stated
date. We do not intend to update them except as required by law.
Source: A.P. Pharma, Inc.
A.P. Pharma, Inc.
Ronald Prentki, 650-366-2626 (Investor Relations)
President
and Chief Executive Officer
or
Corporate Communications
Alliance, LLC
Edie DeVine, 209-814-9564
President
