Angelini Labopharm Confirms Appointment of Mary Anne Heino as President

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Angelini Labopharm, LLC, today confirmed Mary Anne Heino's appointment as President of the Company.  Formerly Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Labopharm Inc. and President of the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Labopharm USA, Inc., Ms. Heino's primary focus will be to leverage the Angelini Labopharm joint venture for the commercialization of OLEPTRO™, as well as to explore opportunities for line-extensions and the introduction of other products to the U.S. market through the joint venture.

The Angelini Labopharm joint venture was formed in 2010 for the U.S. commercialization of OLEPTRO™, a novel, once-daily formulation of the antidepressant trazodone hydrochloride approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the symptomatic relief of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.  

"As acting President of Angelini Labopharm, Mary Anne played an instrumental role in the commercial preparation for the U.S. launch of OLEPTRO™ last August and we look forward to her continued contributions toward the build out of the joint venture," said James R. Howard-Tripp, President and Chief Executive Officer, Labopharm Inc.

"Mary Anne's proven leadership in the management of the Angelini Labopharm joint venture gives us great confidence in the successful growth and performance of this partnership as we focus on expansion efforts in the United States," said Gianluigi Frozzi, Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmaceutical Division, Gruppo Angelini.

Prior to joining Labopharm in February 2007, Ms. Heino held executive positions with Centocor, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, including Vice President of Strategic Planning and Competitive Intelligence and Vice President of Sales, in which she directed a sales team that generated revenue of more than $2 billion annually. Prior to Centocor, Ms. Heino held a series of increasingly senior sales and marketing leadership roles at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, also a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Heino holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

About Angelini Labopharm

For the purpose of marketing OLEPTRO™ in the United States, Gruppo Angelini and Labopharm established the joint venture Angelini Labopharm, which is equally owned by affiliates of both companies. This partnership leverages Labopharm's CONTRAMID® technology with Angelini's experience of the trazodone molecule.

About Labopharm Inc.

Labopharm is an emerging leader in optimizing the performance of existing small molecule drugs using its proprietary controlled-release technologies. The Company's commercialized products include OLEPTRO™, a once-daily antidepressant marketed in the U.S. (and approved in Canada under the same name) and a unique once-daily formulation of tramadol marketed in 19 countries, including the U.S.  Labopharm's third product, a twice-daily formulation of tramadol-acetaminophen, is approved in multiple countries in Europe with launches anticipated in late 2011.  The Company also has a pipeline of follow-on products in both pre-clinical and clinical development. Labopharm is headquartered in Laval, Canada with U.S. offices in Princeton, New Jersey.

About Angelini

Angelini, a privately owned, international group, is a leader in the healthcare and wellbeing market in the pharmaceutical and mass market sectors. Angelini was founded in Italy at the beginning of the 20th Century. Today, it is an international group with branches in 18 countries and worldwide product distribution. In the Pharmaceutical sector, Angelini focuses mainly on pain relief, inflammation, CNS, pediatrics, cold and flu, oral care and sore throat, gynecology and disinfection. Angelini is one of the top four pharmaceutical companies in Italy by sales volume. Guided by the President Francesco Angelini, the group employs about 3,500 people.  In 2009 consolidated revenue was more than 1.2 billion Euros.

This press release contains forward-looking statements by Labopharm Inc., including, statements related to the commercial opportunities and growth for Angelini Labopharm, statements related to the commercialization of OLEPTRO™ in the U.S., statements concerning the regulatory approval and launch of Labopharm's twice-daily tramadol-acetaminophen product in certain European countries, , and statements concerning Labopharm's pipeline of product candidates, which reflect Labopharm's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors, including the uncertainties related to the regulatory process in various countries for the approval of Labopharm's products and the successful commercialization of the products throughout the world if they are approved.  Investors should consult Labopharm's ongoing quarterly filings and annual reports for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Labopharm  undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Angelini Labopharm, LLC