Aratana Therapeutics Adds To Drug Development Team

KANSAS CITY, Kan. and BOSTON, March 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aratana Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on licensing, developing and commercializing innovative prescription medications for cats and dogs (companion animals), today announced it has expanded its relationship with Marie-Paul Lachaud, DVM, as a consultant to the company who will lead drug evaluation and development in Europe.  Dr. Lachaud is a seasoned animal health executive whose work has led to significant companion animal health product approvals in Europe.  Additionally, Aratana expanded its U.S. drug development team to include Laura Simon Treml, VMD, Ph.D., as Director of Drug Development and Glenda L. Armintrout as Senior Research Associate, each of whom bring significant expertise in overseeing clinical programs in companion animals. 

Ernst Heinen, DVM, Ph.D., Head of Aratana's Drug Evaluation and Development, stated, "We're delighted that Marie-Paul has expanded her role with us.  Her engagement represents Aratana's first presence outside of the United States, and we could not ask for a better suited professional to lead our development efforts for the European market.  We are also fortunate to add Laura and Glenda to our team, as we focus on execution of our clinical development programs for our current drug candidates.  Given the strength of their backgrounds in companion animal drug development, we believe we will be well served by their expertise."

Marie-Paul Lachaud, DVM
Dr. Lachaud, whose prior experience focused on international development for animal drugs, was the European animal health director at ICON Clinical Research in Paris, France from 2000 to 2008.  In 1990, she co-founded PROTOCOLE, the first European veterinary consultancy and contract research organization focused on clinical drug development and regulatory affairs, which was acquired by ICON in 2000.

Primarily focused on transitioning human drugs to meet the needs of veterinary medicine, Dr. Lachaud's work has resulted in significant companion animal health product approvals in Europe and the U.S. in a number of innovative therapeutic areas, including reproduction, atopic dermatitis, chronic heart failure, wound healing, chronic kidney disease, pain, obesity, oncology, cognitive dysfunction and anxiety-related disorders.

As Head of Business and Product Development Europe, her responsibilities include coordinating the European Regulatory process for Aratana's products and running the company's in-licensing and out-licensing activities in Europe.

She received her veterinary degree from Alfort National Veterinary School in Paris and her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Paris, France.

Laura Simon Treml, VMD, Ph.D.
Prior to her appointment at Aratana, Dr. Treml led clinical development programs for dogs and cats and managed the Companion Animal Efficacy group at Bayer Animal Health.  Earlier in her career, she practiced small animal medicine and surgery on the East Coast for nine years.

As Director of Drug Development at Aratana, Dr. Treml's responsibilities include designing and managing several of the company's drug development programs and scientifically evaluating potential new in-licensing drug candidates.

Dr. Treml received both her veterinary degree and her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Glenda L. Armintrout
Prior to joining Aratana, Ms. Armintrout was a project manager and scientist at Xenometrics, a contract laboratory specializing in a number of services in support of drug development.  At Xenometrics, she was responsible for monitoring and managing companion animal preclinical studies.  Ms. Armintrout has also held project management and scientist positions at Aptuit and Bayer, and has worked as a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) in a companion animal practice.

As a Senior Research Associate at Aratana, Ms. Armintrout is responsible for assisting the oversight of laboratory and clinical animal studies, organizing data, technical writing and interacting with contract research organizations.

Ms. Armintrout has a BS from Friends University in Kansas City, KS, and an AA in animal health technology from Murray State College in Tishomingo, OK. 

About Aratana Therapeutics

Aratana Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on addressing unmet and underserved medical needs in pets.  Aratana licenses and develops proprietary, patent-protected compounds acquired from human pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and develops strategies to maximize the value of the programs for the pet market.  For more information, please visit www.aratana.com.

Contacts:
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc. 
Joshua Drumm, Ph.D./Andrew Mielach
[email protected]; (212) 375-2664
[email protected]; (212) 375-2694

SOURCE Aratana Therapeutics, Inc.