Viramal Limited Announces Key Appointments

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viramal, (“the Company”), an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics that improve the quality of women’s health, today announced the appointment of Ms. Angela Rossetti, as Chairman and Dr. Alexandra Pearce, as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs.

Ms. Rossetti’s appointment to Chairman was effective January 1, 2017 and she succeeds Mr. William Bologna, who resigned his Board seat and stepped down from the role of Chairman for health reasons.

Separately, the Company has appointed Simona Fiore, MD, PhD, and Magda Pertynska, MD, PhD, both Board certified obstetricians/gynecologists with deep experience in reproductive endocrinology, as medical advisors in newly created roles to support the clinical advancement of Viramal’s pipeline.

“We are pleased to welcome these experts in women’s healthcare to Viramal, who bring the clinical expertise needed to advance our highly differentiated women’s health products into the later stages of clinical development,” stated Oliver Bates, CEO. “Angela Rossetti is a seasoned corporate director and pharmaceutical executive, while Alex Pearce has an impressive track record of drug development and approval at several of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. We look forward to their contributions, alongside those of our new medical advisors, as we develop innovative products that target unmet female therapeutic areas, and create a step change in existing products. I would also like to thank Bill for his contributions to Viramal and wish him well.”

Ms. Rossetti joined Viramal’s Board of Directors in May, 2016. She is a highly qualified corporate director and pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years’ industry experience, including 10 years of senior-level commercialization expertise at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. During the past decade she has been responsible for the commercialization of both mass market and rare disease franchises at Pfizer and Wyeth, and hemophilia products at an early stage biopharmaceutical company, Cell Machines. In addition to her corporate experience, she also was President of Ogilvy Healthworld, a marketing communications agency dedicated to biopharmaceuticals.

Alexandra Pearce, PhD, has over 20 years of global regulatory experience at all stages of drug development and commercialization across therapeutic modalities. She has held executive-level regulatory affairs positions at pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Amgen and Glenmark.

Dr. Pearce has successfully led the regulatory process through registration and approval for products in diverse therapeutic areas. Most recently, Dr. Pearce served as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for regulatory strategy, drug development and the successful commercialization of all in-house and in-licensed products across 80 countries. Prior to this, as Executive Director, Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety at Amgen, she was responsible for developing and executing global regulatory strategies for early pipeline molecules across all therapeutic areas. Prior to Amgen, Dr. Pearce was the Global Regulatory Leader and Director of Worldwide Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer. In this role, Dr. Pearce was accountable for current and emerging business interests for products within the cardiovascular portfolio, as well as regulatory liaison with the US Food and Drug Administration.

The addition of two experienced medical advisors will provide medical, clinical and regulatory expertise to the Company’s women’s health product portfolio.

• Simona Fiore, MD, PhD, will drive the planning and execution of clinical trials for one of Viramal’s most promising infertility product candidates, a treatment for endometriosis that does not cause the significant side effects present in existing treatments. Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the United Kingdom and Italy, Dr. Fiore brings more than two decades’ worth of women’s health expertise to Viramal. Dr. Fiore previously ran an 18 center European study for the National Institute of Health focused on the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to fetus. Prior experience includes scientific coordinator for CREAThE ONLUS, a non-profit providing safer conception options to couples affected by HIV and other transmissible infections, and participation in the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s task force on viral disease in reproduction. Dr. Fiore earned her degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Milan with a specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1994 and her PhD from University College London, United Kingdom, in 2005. Dr. Fiore also holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and Statistics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

• Magda Pertynska, MD, PhD, will also focus on Viramal’s women’s health portfolio, in particular product candidates for the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome, utilizing transdermal delivery of progesterone. Dr. Pertynska’s research fellowships include Yale University, Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins, among others. Prior experience includes coordinating a multi-center international project at the Research Institute of the Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital, and acting as principal investigator for two major scientific projects supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education Scientific Research Committee. Dr. Pertynska has served as a member of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. She earned her medical degree from the Medical University of Lodz, Poland, in 1996, her PhD from the Military Medical University, also located in Lodz, Poland, in 2000, and is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

About Viramal

Viramal is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of global therapeutics that improve the quality of women’s health worldwide. The Company is developing innovative products that target unmet therapeutic areas through the use of its unique pharmaceutical delivery platforms and technologies. These new therapies are anticipated to provide greater efficacy and patient acceptability, with far fewer side effects. Viramal’s robust women’s health clinical development pipeline includes treatments for endometriosis and fertility, menopausal hormone therapy, contraception, sexual health and other potential indications. Please visit www.viramal.com for more information.