Reata Pharmaceuticals Adds Executives to Management Team and Board of Directors

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced Friday a significant expansion of its management team to support the company's lead program, bardoxolone methyl, and to continue advancing its earlier-stage pipeline.

Joining the company are the following executives:

• Paul Audhya, MD, as Vice President of Development and Chief Medical Officer;
• Hilary Malone, Ph.D., as Vice President and Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer;
• Sean Nolan as Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer; and
• Jim Rouse as Vice President and Chief Information Officer.

The company also announced the addition of Nancy Wysenski -- who is Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals -- to Reata's board of directors.

"This is an exciting period of growth for Reata," CEO Warren Huff said. "Bringing these talented leaders on board is a significant step toward our goal of building a stand-alone, fully integrated biopharmaceutical company."

Paul Audhya, MD, Vice President of Development and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Audhya joins Reata with over 15 years of biopharmaceutical R&D experience. He led drug development in multiple therapeutic areas, including renal disease, at Johnson & Johnson, The Liposome Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, and Abbott Laboratories. He earned his bachelor's degrees at New York University, his doctorate at New York University School of Medicine, and his MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).

Hilary Malone, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer. Dr. Malone comes to Reata from Pfizer Inc, where she was Senior Vice President and Head of Worldwide Regulatory Strategy from 2009 to 2011. Previously, she was Senior Vice President and Head of Global Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at Wyeth, beginning in 2006 until the company was acquired by Pfizer in 2009. Earlier in her career, she held positions of increasing responsibility at SmithKline Beecham, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. Dr. Malone earned her bachelor of science in physiology and her doctorate in molecular neuropharmacology from the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK.

Sean Nolan, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Nolan brings to Reata 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. He began his career at Abbott Laboratories and served in a variety of marketing and sales leadership positions across the organization. In 2004, Mr. Nolan joined the executive team at Ovation Pharmaceuticals, a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies to treat rare and severe diseases. The company was acquired by the Danish pharmaceutical company, H. Lundbeck, in 2009 and after leading the company integration, he served as President of the newly created US entity.

Jim Rouse, Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Rouse joins Reata with extensive experience in the life sciences industry. Most recently, he was executive director of information technology at PharmaNet Development Group. Previously, he worked at RES Partners, Pharmacopeia, and Covance. He began his career at Bristol-Myers Squibb, remaining with the company for 25 years and leading many complex business and technology initiatives. Mr. Rouse has a bachelor of science in commerce and management science from Rider University and a master's degree in information management from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Nancy Wysenski, Member, Board of Directors. Ms. Wysenski is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Vertex, Ms. Wysenski held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Endo Pharmaceuticals. Previously, she was a co-founder of EMD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Merck KGaA, where she held various leadership positions, including the role of President and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 to 2006 and Vice President of Commercial from 1999 to 2001. From 1984 to 1998, Ms. Wysenski held several sales-focused roles at major pharmaceutical companies, including Vice President of Field Sales for Astra Merck, Inc.

About Reata Pharmaceuticals

Reata Pharmaceuticals is the leader in discovering and developing novel, oral anti-inflammatory drugs that activate Nrf2, the primary regulator of cellular antioxidant and detoxification enzymes. Activation of this important biological target is thought to protect against a broad range of diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. Reata is developing bardoxolone methyl, its lead product candidate, to prevent progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Bardoxolone methyl is currently in a global Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with Stage 4 CKD and type 2 diabetes.

For more information, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.reatapharma.com/.

Reata Contacts

Media: Matt Middleman or David Schull, [email protected], 212-845-4272; [email protected], 212-845-4271
Investors: Alan Roemer, [email protected], 1-646-378-2945

SOURCE Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc.