Accera, Inc. Elects Industry Veteran Holger Kunze as CEO and as a Member of the Company's Board of Directors

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Accera, Inc., a privately-held, commercial-stage, healthcare company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics to treat central nervous system disorders, announced today that Holger Kunze has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the company's Board of Directors (BoD).  Concurrently, Sven Thormahlen, Ph.D., has also been appointed as a member of Accera's BoD.

With more than 30 years managerial experience with multinational pharmaceutical and nutrition companies, Mr. Kunze currently serves as the Regional Business Unit Head for Nestle Health Science's HealthCare Nutrition Business Unit in the Africa, Oceania and Asia (AOA) territories.  While managing more than 600 employees, Mr. Kunze integrated the Novartis Medical Nutrition Business into the Nestle Nutrition Division, leading it to one of the top Medical Nutrition companies in the region with more than $250M in sales for 2011.  Under his leadership, Nestle Health Science consistently delivered annual targeted top and bottom line performance and gained market share in all markets.

Prior to joining Nestle, Mr. Kunze held various managerial positions within Novartis for more than 10 years.  Most recently, Mr. Kunze led and managed the consumer health division of the Asia Regional Novartis Medical Nutrition business unit from 2004 to 2007.  During his tenure, Mr. Kunze established the Asia Regional Medical Nutrition Office in Singapore, supported and coordinated the acquisition of the Mead Johnson Adult Nutrition business and led and managed the Medical Nutrition businesses for Novartis in 17 Asian countries. 

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to add to Accera's efforts of providing Alzheimer's patients with an alternative for managing their disease," said Mr. Kunze.  "I'm confident that with my experience, we'll be able to further expand the commercial presence of Axona in global markets."

Dr. Sven Thormahlen has more than twenty years experience in successfully managing industrial research and product development departments with emphasis on fast moving consumer goods, medical devices, OTC products and medical nutrition.  He currently serves as the CEO of MucoVax, a biological immune care company based in Germany.  Prior to this role, Dr. Thormahlen served as the International executive director of research and development at Groupe Danone in France until May 2011.  In this role, Dr. Thormahlen headed more than 1,500 researchers while overseeing four divisions, including medical nutrition, dairy foods, waters and beverages and baby and infant nutrition.

"We are delighted to be joined by Mr. Kunze and Dr. Thormahlen," said Claude Nash, Ph.D., head of Accera's BoD.  "We are confident their extensive experience with international pharmaceutical companies and medical nutrition will further Accera's goal of developing novel therapeutic products for neurodegenerative diseases."

About Axona®
Axona is a prescription-only medical food intended for the clinical dietary management of the metabolic processes associated with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. For more information about Axona, please visit www.about-axona.com or ask your physician.

About Accera, Inc.
Accera, Inc. is a privately held commercial-stage biotechnology company that developed and now markets Axona in the US.  Accera is engaged in the research, development and commercialization of other clinical applications for Axona and AC-1204 in acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases.  For more information about Accera, please visit www.accerapharma.com.

SOURCE Accera, Inc.