Aerocrine appoints Morten Gunvad as VP Commercial Operations Europe and Asia
SOLNA, Sweden – 15 August 2011 – Aerocrine AB today announced the appointment of Morten Gunvad as Vice President Commercial Operations Europe and Asia. Morten will lead the company’s overall sales and marketing operations outside North America to accelerate sales both in Aerocrine’s direct and distributor markets.
Morten Gunvad brings 17 years of industry experience from senior commercial leadership roles. Most recently, Morten has served as Vice President Soft Tissue Implants Europe at Covidien, a $10 billion global healthcare products leader.
Based in Sweden, Morten will have the responsibility for bringing even greater focus to Aerocrine’s commercial operations in Europe and Asia, as well as to further develop the company’s regional sales and marketing strategies. He will report directly to Aerocrine’s CEO and will serve on the company’s executive management team.
Morten Gunvad said, “Aerocrine has built a great foundation based on scientific innovation and is bringing a revolutionary new biomarker to the international market. The company is the global leader supplying unique products and services that address a significant unmet medical need in one of the world’s most widespread chronic diseases. I am excited to join Aerocrine and contribute to making the company’s products available to a growing number of patients living with asthma.”
“Aerocrine is commercially active in numerous European and Asian markets where a significant share of the company’s revenues is generated. Morten Gunvad’s extensive practical experience from international commercialization and strategic development in the life sciences industry will be an important strengthening of our organization,” says Paul de Potocki, CEO of Aerocrine. “I am very happy to welcome Morten 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 August the 15th 2011.