RALEIGH, N.C., May 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BDSI), a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus in pain management and addiction medicine, announced today that Herm Cukier has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of BioDelivery Sciences effective May 8, 2018. Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mark A. Sirgo, will continue his role as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and, along with current President Scott Plesha, will work closely with Mr. Cukier in the transition of responsibilities. Herm will be introduced at the upcoming BDSI earnings call scheduled for Thursday, May 10, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time.
Herm brings extensive commercial leadership experience to BDSI as the company seeks to enhance the growth of its marketed products. He has led a multitude of biopharma businesses to high growth success around the world over the last 25 years. He was most recently a Senior Vice President at Allergan plc, where his roles included being the head of its Eye Care Division, Allergan’s largest division with more than $2.5 billion in annual sales, and the Head of its Women’s Healthcare Division, which was one of the fastest growing segments of Allergan under his leadership reaching peak sales of $1.2 billion. He was most recently Allergan’s Head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation. Herm was also both a member of Allergan’s Commercial Leadership Team and its Operational Leadership Team throughout his tenure.
“Our Board of Directors is very pleased to announce Herm’s appointment as CEO and member of our Board,” said Dr. Frank O’Donnell, Chairman of the Board of BDSI. “Herm brings to BDSI a wealth of commercial experience and a consistent track record of successfully leading and transforming businesses. Herm has successfully applied his vast commercial experience over multiple commercial organizations that involved over 50 brands. As such, we believe he is well equipped to make immediate contributions to BDSI and support the future growth of BELBUCA® and BUNAVAIL®. Our Board looks forward to working with Herm and is confident, given Herm’s background and experience, that he is the right person to lead BDSI to the next level.”
Prior to joining Allergan, Herm held a series of senior executive positions with several pharmaceutical companies. His experiences also include having been the Chief Marketing Officer and member of the Executive Committee at Organon Biosciences and starting a clinical stage biotech together with Weill Cornell Medical College where he served as CEO and member of the board of directors. Earlier in his career, Herm held positions of increasing commercial responsibility at Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer. He received an MBA from the Columbia Business School and a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Herm will be based in BDSI’s headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Mr. Cukier stated, “I am thrilled to join BDSI, which I believe is an emerging leader in the field of pain management. There remains tremendous patient need in this therapeutic space with more than 100 million Americans experiencing some form of chronic pain. I look forward to working with the BDSI team to further expand upon the company’s current momentum and continue to build a top performing enterprise.”
About BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ:BDSI) is a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus in the areas of pain management and addiction medicine. BDSI is utilizing its novel and proprietary BioErodible MucoAdhesive (BEMA®) technology and other drug delivery technologies to develop and commercialize, either on its own or in partnership with third parties, new applications of proven therapies aimed at addressing important unmet medical needs.
BDSI's marketed products and those in development address serious and debilitating conditions such as chronic pain, breakthrough cancer pain and opioid dependence. BDSI's headquarters is in Raleigh, North Carolina.
