Aerocrine appoints Dr. Kathleen Rickard as Chief Medical Officer
SOLNA, Sweden – 29 March 2011 – Aerocrine AB today announced the appointment of Dr. Kathleen Rickard as Chief Medical Officer of the company. Dr. Rickard will be Aerocrine’s primary voice to the global medical community and will speak to critical issues related to airway inflammation monitoring and improved treatment of asthma.
Kathleen Rickard is a Medical Doctor and specialist in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. She brings fifteen years of industry experience from senior leadership of respiratory medicines development at GlaxoSmithKline in the U.S. Most recently, Dr. Rickard has served as Medical Director at PPD, a leading global contract research organization providing drug discovery, development and lifecycle management services.
Based in the U.S., Dr. Rickard will have the responsibility for bringing even greater focus to Aerocrine’s medical and clinical activities worldwide as well as shaping innovative medical strategies. She will report directly to Aerocrine’s CEO and will serve on the company’s executive management team.
Dr. Rickard said, “Aerocrine has built a great foundation on scientific innovation and dedication and has an exciting program in place to drive the next wave of innovative products and services. Aerocrine is the global leader supplying unique products responding to a significant unmet medical need and I couldn’t be more pleased to join this fine organization.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to make a difference in the lives of patients living with asthma.”
“Aerocrine’s fundamental mission is to bring new technology for the benefit of healthcare providers and patients worldwide. Dr. Rickard’s achievements in academia, clinical medicine and industry are exceptional and her extensive practical experience in the field of asthma therapy is invaluable,” says Paul de Potocki, CEO of Aerocrine. “I am pleased to welcome Dr. Rickard to Aerocrine’s management team.”
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by symptoms including wheezing and difficulty in breathing. The disease affects more than 300 million people around the world, of whom a significant number are children. Aerocrine’s founders made the original discovery that the levels of nitric oxide in exhaled breath, FENO, is elevated in patients with asthma. This has enabled a quick, effective and proactive method to measure the underlying inflammation in asthma, rather than being limited to reactively monitor its negative consequences in the form of symptoms and reduced lung function. The method has significant value in connection with diagnosis and choice of appropriate medication, as well as for the continuous management of asthma which is aimed at controlling the airway inflammation. Today, more than four million patient tests have been performed around the world using Aerocrine’s NIOX products.
For more information, contact:
Paul de Potocki, CEO, telephone: +46 8 629 07 80
About Aerocrine Aerocrine AB is a medical technology company focused on the improved management and care of patients with inflammatory airway diseases. As the pioneer and leader in the technology to monitor and manage airway inflammation, Aerocrine markets NIOX® Flex and NIOX MINO®. Both products enable fast and reliable management of airway inflammation and may therefore play a critical role in more effective diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma. Aerocrine is based in Sweden with subsidiaries in the US, Germany and the UK. Aerocrine shares were listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange on 15 June 2007. Aerocrine discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the Securities Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at 08:00 a.m. on March the 29th 2011.