TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TSX:ASP) today announced the appointment of Mr. Mark Lievonen to its Board of Directors. The appointment fills the vacancy resulting from Mr. Tom Rossi’s resignation from the Board of Directors. Mr. Lievonen has also been appointed to the Audit Committee and will serve as its Chair.
Mark Lievonen has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, more recently as the President of Sanofi Pasteur Limited, the Canadian vaccine division of Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical company. He is a Director of Oncolytics Biotech Inc., Quest PharmaTech Inc., and the Gairdner Foundation. Mr. Lievonen has served on a number of industry and not-for-profit boards including as Chair of Rx&D (now Innovative Medicines Canada), BIOTECanada, the Ontario Genomics Institute, and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2015, named a Chevalier de l’Ordre National de Mérite by the government of France in 2007, and was inducted into the Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame in 2013. Mr. Lievonen holds a BBA in accounting and a MBA in finance and marketing from the Schulich School of Business, York University. In 2015, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from York University. Mr. Lievonen is a Chartered Professional Accountant and received his designation while working with PricewaterhouseCoopers prior to joining Sanofi Pasteur. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2007.
“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Lievonen to the Acerus Board of Directors,” commented Ian Ihnatowycz, Chairman of the Board. “The depth of his strategic, industry and financial knowledge as well as his extensive governance experience will undoubtedly be beneficial to Acerus as we look towards our future with excitement and confidence.”
About Acerus
Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a Canadian-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of innovative, branded products that improve patient experience, with a primary focus in the field of men’s and women’s health. The Company commercializes its products via its own salesforce in Canada, and through a global network of licensed distributors in the U.S. and other territories.
Acerus currently has two marketed products. ESTRACE®, a product for the symptomatic relief of menopausal symptoms, is commercialized in Canada; and NATESTO®, the first and only testosterone nasal gel for testosterone replacement therapy in adult males diagnosed with hypogonadism, is commercialized in Canada and the U.S. In addition, NATESTO® has been licensed for distribution in 30 countries worldwide. Marketing approvals in jurisdictions outside of North America are expected to take place over the course of the coming years. Acerus’ pipeline includes two innovative products: GYNOFLOR™, an ultra-low dose vaginal estrogen combined with a probiotic, for which a NDS has been filed in Canada for the treatment of atrophic vaginitis, restoration of vaginal flora and treatment of certain vaginal infections; and TEFINA™, a clinical stage product aimed at addressing a significant unmet need for women with female sexual dysfunction. Finally, the Company owns or has a license to numerous patents relating to proprietary delivery systems as well as novel formulations of products currently in the early stage of development.
Acerus’ shares trade on TSX under the symbol ASP. For more information, visit www.aceruspharma.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
