Endo Pharmaceuticals is shaking the personnel tree again, this time in the marketing department. Out is U.S. branded pharma President Joseph Ciaffoni, who joined Endo in August, as former Sanofi exec Patrick Barry moves in.
Barry comes in with a slightly different title—senior VP of U.S. branded pharmaceuticals—with another new exec, Matthew Davis, slotted in as senior VP for research and development, branded pharmaceuticals.
Why the marketing changes now? Endo declined to comment. But a couple of factors likely played into the changes, including a set of new C-level managers and the new course they’ve charted for the specialty pharma company.
Endo announced a top-level overhaul in September, just a month after CEO Rajiv De Silva brought Ciaffoni over from Biogen. De Silva made an abrupt exit, and Endo named its own generics and OTC chief Paul Campanelli to replace him.
Analysts saw the exec changes as a sign that Endo would shift away from De Silva’s acquisition-heavy strategy, which he had honed while president and COO at Valeant. With his departure, market-watchers said Endo would likely put a stronger focus on its roots in specialty brands and generics, which made up more than 60% of revenue in 2015.
Barry’s hire appears to fit with that hypothesis. He joins Endo from Sanofi, where he most recently oversaw sales and marketing activities for branded and generic products in the U.S. and Canada.
The company has also taken another big turn. After facing ruboff from the ongoing controversy over opioid painkillers—which have been among Endo’s top-selling meds—the company cut its 375-rep U.S. branded field corps, in effect sidelining its core pain business. Analysts are speculating that the pain portfolio may be on the block as Endo looks to sell assets to pay down its acquisition debt.
The marketing exec changes also follow the departure of CFO Suketu Upadhyay, who left company in October. Last week, Endo named senior VP of global finance operations Blaise Coleman to take the job; he’d served as interim finance chief since Upadhyay left.
By Beth Snyder Bulik
Source: Fierce Pharma
Giovanni Caforio, the former CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, is set to become the next board chairman of Novartis, which on Tuesday proposed the pharmaceutical industry veteran as its pick to replace Joerg Reinhardt in the role next year. Reinhardt has served as Novartis’ chair since 2013 and plans to retire when his 12-year term ends in 2025.
GE HealthCare has raised the curtain on two ultrasound systems equipped with artificial intelligence programs designed to assist in diagnosing conditions in women’s health, including obstetric exams. The Voluson Signature 20 and 18 imaging systems include AI tools capable of automatically identifying and annotating measurements of fetal anatomy.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry have revealed a new sustainable method of manufacturing complex molecules that could reduce waste produced during drug production. The method published in Nature Chemistry could help to prevent severe side effects caused by drugs that can exist as enantiomers.
