Althea Technologies Appoints Dr. Kristin DeFife, Director, Biologics Manufacturing And Jack Wright, VP, Sales and Marketing

SAN DIEGO, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Althea Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of development and manufacturing services for biopharmaceutical products, announced today the appointment of Dr. Kristin DeFife as Director, Biologics Manufacturing, and Jack Wright as VP, Sales and Marketing.

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In her role, Dr. DeFife will be responsible for leading Althea's microbial biologics manufacturing operations, which include upstream and downstream process development and cGMP bulk drug substance manufacturing. Mr. Wright will oversee the Sales and Marketing group, and focus on strategic growth and driving new business development. The appointment of these two seasoned science and business managers marks a strong addition to Althea's leadership team to support the company's continued growth and expansion.

"I am delighted to welcome two such highly regarded and experienced professionals to Althea," said Rick Hancock, President of Althea. "I know that both Kristin and Jack will add enormous strength to our already outstanding management team."

Dr. DeFife stated, "I am excited to join Althea and have the opportunity to contribute my experience in biologics development and manufacturing operations to the company's continued growth and success.  It is an honor to be joining such a strong management team, and I am looking forward to building on Althea's impressive track record of quality biologics manufacturing services."

Dr. DeFife has over ten years of successful leadership and biologics development and manufacturing experience in the biotechnology industry. Most recently, she served as VP of Operations at PacificGMP where she was responsible for all aspects of company operations. Prior to her tenure at PacificGMP she held the position of VP of Research and Development at MediVas, LLC, where her efforts resulted in a multi-million dollar collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company. In addition to MediVas, LLC, Dr. DeFife held increasingly senior positions at Immusol Inc. and CyThera. Throughout her career, Dr. DeFife has published numerous peer-reviewed papers regarding biomaterials and immunology. Dr. DeFife received her Ph.D in Pathology from Case Western Reserve University and a B.S. in Biological Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, from Quincy College.

Jack Wright added, "I am excited to join Althea to help lead a world class business development team. Althea's solid platform for biologic manufacturing, fill finish and Crystalomics® technology are positioned perfectly for the vast amount of NBE's (New Biological Entities) and targeted therapeutic areas."

Jack Wright brings over fifteen years of experience in corporate sales and business development in the pharmaceutical industry. Jack joins Althea after serving as Vice President of Business Development for Oral Technologies at Catalent Pharma Solutions. Prior to his tenure at Catalent/Cardinal Health, Mr. Wright was with Rhodia Inc, Mutual Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharm Pharmaceutical Services. He holds an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Drexel University, and a B.S. in Pharmacy from Rutgers College of Pharmacy.

About Althea Technologies

Althea Technologies is a fully integrated, contract development and manufacturing organization located in San Diego, CA providing clinical and commercial product development services. Althea offers cGMP drug product filling in both vials and syringes, and production of microbial-derived recombinant proteins and plasmid DNA. In conjunction with these manufacturing operations, Althea offers comprehensive development services including: upstream and downstream process development, analytical development, lyophilization cycle, complex formulation, product release and ICH-compliant stability testing. Althea's formulation technology platform includes Crystalomics®, a proprietary technology that offers a formulation solution for large molecule products that must be delivered at high concentrations or as sustained release formulations. For more information, visit www.altheatech.com.

SOURCE Althea Technologies, Inc.