Michael F. Marino Joins OptiNose AS As Chief Legal Officer

YARDLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OptiNose™ today announced the appointment of Michael F. Marino as Chief Legal Officer. Mr. Marino is a seasoned executive and legal advisor with more than 15 years of experience advising public and privately-held companies in a diverse range of industries – most notably life sciences. In this role, Mr. Marino will serve as Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors and be responsible for leading the Company’s legal function including legal and intellectual property strategy, risk management, compliance, contracting and advising the Company on strategic transactions, financings and corporate governance matters.

“Mike has an impeccable track record of leading and advising companies of all sizes, and he will be critical to our efforts as we build OptiNose into a leading ENT / Allergy specialty company.”

“With the appointment of Mike as Chief Legal Officer, our leadership team is fully staffed with experienced biopharma executives that will lead the transition of the company from development to commercial stage,” said Peter Miller, Chief Executive Officer of OptiNose. “Mike has an impeccable track record of leading and advising companies of all sizes, and he will be critical to our efforts as we build OptiNose into a leading ENT / Allergy specialty company.”

Prior to joining OptiNose, Mr. Marino served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Fibrocell Science, Inc., a publicly-held cell and gene therapy company. Prior to Fibrocell, Mr. Marino served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of NuPathe Inc., a publicly-held specialty pharmaceutical company, from 2010 until its acquisition by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2014. During his tenure at Fibrocell and NuPathe, Mr. Marino secured the issuance of numerous U.S. and foreign patents, successfully managed litigation matters, implemented and enhanced compliance programs, and led the legal negotiations for public and private financing transactions, licensing and collaboration arrangements and the sale of NuPathe.

Before joining NuPathe, Mr, Marino was an attorney at the law firms of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Philadelphia, PA and WilmerHale LLP in Boston, MA where his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, financing transactions, corporate governance, securities and other general corporate matters.

“I am thrilled to be joining OptiNose and to become part of such an accomplished and passionate team,” said Marino. “This is an exciting time in the Company’s history. The planned commercialization of OPN-375 will be transformational for OptiNose and will provide an important treatment option for millions of suffering patients.”

Michael holds a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Villanova University.

About OptiNose™

OptiNose is a commercial stage ENT / Allergy Specialty Biopharmaceutical Company on a mission to improve lives. The Company’s first technology platform involves a patented closed-palate Breath Powered® technology used to develop Exhalation Delivery Systems (EDS) that produce high and deep intranasal deposition of medication. These exhalation delivery systems enable creation of products with the potential for meaningful new clinical benefits. OptiNose developed and out-licensed its first product at the end of phase 3 (Onzetra™ Xsail™ (sumatriptan nasal powder), licensed to Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in North America, since acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.). Onzetra Xsail received FDA approval in January 2016 and was launched in the U.S. in May 2016. The Company’s second product candidate, an Exhalation Delivery System with fluticasone propionate (OPN-375) is being developed for treatment of nasal polyposis and chronic sinusitis. An NDA seeking marketing approval for the treatment of nasal polyposis was submitted in November 2016. Subsequent OptiNose pipeline products will aim to serve the needs of patients treated by ENT and allergy specialists. The Company is also engaged in early development work on products for neurologic orphan diseases where the “nose-to-brain” application of our technology may enable improved treatment. This includes OPN-300 (Prader-Willi Syndrome, Autism, others) and OPN-21 (narcolepsy and others). OptiNose has corporate offices in the US, UK and Norway.