Surrey, UK, 23rd September 2011 – NextPharma, the leading European provider of product development, contract manufacturing and cold chain and logistics outsourcing services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, today announced that Bill Wedlake, NextPharma?s Chief Executive Officer will step down effective 30th September, 2011. Franck Latrille, NextPharma?s new CEO, replaces Bill and will take up his position on Monday 3rd October, 2011.
Bill Wedlake joined NextPharma in July 2000 as Chief Financial Officer in the same year that it was founded. In 2003 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer and joined the Board of Directors. Bill who has contributed significantly to the growth and development of the NextPharma business is working closely with Franck to ensure a smooth transition process. The rest of the NextPharma executive management team remains unchanged.
David Finnigan of Sun European Partners, NextPharma?s shareholder commented “I am very grateful to Bill for his considerable contributions to NextPharma over the past eleven years and I wish him every success for the future”. Finnigan continued “NextPharma is in a tremendous position to extend its share of the outsourcing market and its Board of Directors is pleased to be able to appoint an executive with Frank?s experience and track record to lead NextPharma to its next stage of growth and development.
Franck Latrille joins NextPharma with a broad and deep experience of the global pharmaceutical industry, having most recently held executive board positions at Merck-Serono SA, including Deputy CEO and EVP Marketing and Sales. Previously at Serono SA he held executive board positions with responsibility for pharmaceutical manufacturing and product development operations. He holds a PhD in biochemistry and physiology.
NextPharma develops, manufactures, packages, and distributes a broad range of products and formulations for its customers from tablets and capsules to antibiotics, hormones, steriles and controlled release medicines. It has an established leadership position in the high technology area of injectables manufacturing, with particular expertise in product development and manufacture of oncology medicines.
NextPharma has recently been acquired by Sun European Partners with a view to leveraging NextPharma?s strong track record, reputation and state of the art facilities, to grow the business both organically and by acquisition.
NextPharma Technologies Holding Limited
Tel +44 (0) 1483 479 120
About NextPharma
NextPharma Technologies, headquartered in the UK and founded in 2000, is a world class outsourcing partner to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
NextPharma offers a full range of services from early phase product development, through clinical trial packaging (Phases I through III) to high volume commercial manufacturing for New Chemical Entities (NCEs)/New Biological Entities (NBEs) and generic products. The company is a world leader in lyophilization, sterile fill finish and pellet technologies and in specialist product manufacturing including cytotoxics, hormones, penicillins, cephalosporins and controlled drugs. Its sterile development and production offers a full range of drug delivery technologies including pre-filled syringes, vials and ampoules. Additionally NextPharma has significant expertise in paediatric drug formulation, development and manufacture. NextPharma offers „one-stop? logistics solutions tailored to meet the needs of the global pharmaceutical industry under the rigid standards of cGSP/GDP regulations.
NextPharma operates globally with seven product development centers, seven manufacturing plants and six temperature controlled storage and distribution sites across Europe and North America, supplying customers in North America, Europe and Japan.
NextPharma has 1,200 employees dedicated to serving over 200 customers worldwide and a customer base, which includes many of the world?s leading pharmaceutical, specialty pharma and biotech companies.
NextPharma has a proven track record in almost all pharmaceutical technologies and 3 product forms and in addition to the specialist areas above have capabilities in solids, semi-solids, liquids, sprays and dry dosage form technologies.
All of its sites are either FDA inspected, in the process of upgrade for inspection or targeted for upgrade for inspection.
