NEW YORK, May 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premune, a research and development stage animal health company focused on the development of new therapeutics for companion animals, today announced the appointment of Mickey McDermott as Global Head of Marketing. Mr. McDermott will lead the development and implementation of Premune's marketing strategy, primarily focusing on North America and Europe, and is expected to play a significant role in the Company's business development and partnering initiatives.
"Mickey's appointment to this key position represents another important step in our effort to build a robust corporate infrastructure. Mickey has a great track record and we are confident that he will be a key contributor to the development of our business," said Premune CEO and co-founder, Viktor Karlsson. "Having spent more than 15 years developing the marketing and communications identities for some of the world's leading animal health companies, we believe the expertise and relationships Mickey has established during his extensive life sciences career make him the ideal fit for this role. We are excited to have Mickey on board."
Mickey McDermott joins Premune with more than 20 years of life sciences experience, including more than 15 years in animal health. Most recently, he was Director of Global Innovation at Novartis Animal Health. Before being named to this position, he spent seven years in a variety of senior-level marketing and communications positions with a focus on companion animal health products. Prior to Novartis, McDermott managed global marketing at Pharmacia Animal Health and managed the marketing mix at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). Additionally, he has held senior positions at a number of leading healthcare-focused advertising and communication agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi and Ferguson / Commonhealth. McDermott holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dairy Science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University.
"Premune has a pipeline of compounds in development that I believe could significantly influence the animal health field. The characteristics that most attracted me to the Company were the strong core in science and the great commitment of Viktor and the rest of his team to developing new products that fill a gap in the veterinary medicine market," McDermott said. "I am honored to be joining this group of scientific and entrepreneurial leaders and look forward to the part I will play in Premune's future growth."
With its solid foundation in immunology and inflammatory disease research, Premune's pipeline seeks to target several of the most prevalent problem areas in companion animal health. In this vein, the Company is working to develop the world's first preventive treatment for pet allergies.
About Premune:
Premune is a research and development stage animal health company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of some of the most common conditions affecting companion animals. The Company's pipeline of compounds under development seeks to target indications such as allergies and inflammatory diseases that are highly prevalent in cats and dogs. Premune's current product candidates are the result of decades of collective research in bacteriology and immunology at the University of Gothenburg, one of Sweden's leading academic institutions. Premune's pipeline consists of compounds in various stages of clinical development. The Company is continuously seeking to expand its therapeutic portfolio through a combination of in-house research and development projects in conjunction with its academic partners and the strategic in-licensing of additional product candidates. The Company's in-licensing strategy is to identify therapeutic entities in development for humans that exhibit potential efficacy in companion animals as well. Premune aims to advance these products through clinical development and bring them to market in veterinary pharmaceutical and nutraceutical arenas. Premune´s goal is to improve the quality of life for companion animals worldwide by translating leading human research to pets.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
Statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "looks forward to," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "will," "project" or words of similar meaning. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of Premune's management and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond Premune's control, can affect the operations, performance, development of products, business strategy, timing and results. Without limiting the foregoing, the development, testing, regulatory approval process and the timeline associated with development, manufacture and sale of therapeutic products in the animal health industry are inherently uncertain. Premune is neither required nor intends to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.