Nexvet Appoints Ashraf Hanna and Joseph McCracken to Board of Directors

DUBLIN and MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterinary biologic therapy developer Nexvet Biopharma today announced the appointments of Dr. Ashraf Hanna, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Joseph McCracken D.V.M., M.S., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Hanna is the Vice President of Commercial and Medical Affairs Finance at Genentech and Chief Financial Officer for the Genentech Foundation, while Dr. McCracken most recently served as Vice President and Global Head of Business Development and Licensing for Roche Pharma.

"Drs. Hanna and McCracken are welcome additions to Nexvet as we continue to transform into a global leader in veterinary biologics. Their respective areas of expertise touch on the key aspects of developing and managing a successful life science company and all of us at Nexvet are excited to have access to their counsel and direction," said Dr. Mark Heffernan, Chief Executive Officer of Nexvet.

In his post at Genentech, Dr. Hanna managed the merger integration of Roche and Genentech and is responsible for developing and managing comprehensive profit and loss statements for all Genentech brands post-merger.  Prior to Dr. Hanna's tenure at Genentech, he was the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Tanox, Inc., which was acquired by Genentech in 2007.  Dr. Hanna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from the University of Chicago, a Doctorate of Physics from Harvard University, and a medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

While at Roche Pharma, Dr. McCracken was responsible for the Company's global in-licensing and out-licensing activities. Prior to joining Roche Pharma, Dr. McCracken's experience included serving as Vice President of Business Development at Genentech for more than ten years, and as VP of Business and Technology Development at Aventis Pharma and Rhone-Poulenc Rorer. Currently, Dr. McCracken serves as a board member and consultant to biotechnology companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, a Masters of Science in Pharmacology, and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ohio State University.

As part of Nexvet's transition to its next stage of growth, Dr. Paul Wood and Mr Peter Howard have resigned from the Nexvet Board of Directors.  "On behalf of the entire Nexvet team and Board, I wish to extend deep appreciation to Paul and Peter for their significant support and stewardship in guiding Nexvet through its early, essential stages of growth," said Dr. Heffernan.

In addition to recent Board changes, the company has also established its global corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.

About Nexvet (www.nexvet.com)
Nexvet is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the therapeutic market for companion animals, such as dogs and cats, by developing and commercializing novel, species-specific biologics. Nexvet's proprietary PETization™ platform is designed to rapidly create monoclonal antibodies ("mAbs") that are recognized as "self" by an animal's immune system, a property referred to as "100% species-specificity." Nexvet's product candidates also build upon the safety and efficacy data from clinically tested human therapies, thereby reducing clinical risk and development cost.  Nexvet's first product candidate, NV-01, is an anti-nerve growth factor mAb for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs.  Nexvet's second product candidate, NV-02, is an anti-nerve growth factor mAb for the control of pain associated with degenerative joint disease in cats.  Nexvet expects data from its pivotal safety and efficacy study for NV-01 by the end of 2015 and for NV-02 in 2016.  Nexvet's third product candidate, NV-08, is a tumor necrosis factor receptor fusion protein for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis, in dogs.  If Nexvet's safety studies for NV-08 are successful, Nexvet would have the potential for conditional licensure in 2015.

Nexvet's team members have international track records in the development of human biologics and veterinary drugs, and are committed to developing biologics to drive innovation in the global animal health therapeutic and vaccine market, and give companion animals longer, happier lives.

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SOURCE Nexvet