KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – Tengion Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today the completion of its Executive Leadership team. Tengion is working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance the development of its lead products into the clinic. The Company is developing neo-organs and tissues derived from a patient’s own cells that can be used to replace the patient’s diseased or impaired organs or tissues.
President and Chief Executive Officer Steven Nichtberger, M.D., a former senior executive at Merck, successful founding entrepreneur, and Board Certified internist and cardiologist, heads the team of senior Tengion officers. Prior to joining Tengion, Dr. Nichtberger held a number of senior management positions at Merck including: leadership of the global marketing organization with responsibility for developing strategy for all Merck brands globally; operational leadership of the Merck hypertension franchise comprising six brands, with P&L responsibility for the franchise; and leadership of the New Products Group with responsibility for development of strategy for pipeline products at Merck.
“I am privileged to have the opportunity to work with such a passionate group of highly talented individuals in advancing Tengion’s science,” Nichtberger noted. “Our leadership team brings unparalleled experience and expertise from across the pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology industries. Guided by a shared vision to bring transformational breakthroughs in regenerative medicine to patients in need, their talents will allow us to effectively advance our product portfolio.”
Joining Dr. Nichtberger as senior Tengion officers are:
Don Bergmann, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Technical Operations - With over 20 years experience managing biopharmaceutical manufacturing operations, Dr. Bergmann was most recently General Manager of the Biopharmaceuticals business unit for GlaxoSmithKline, Plc. In this role, he oversaw a multi-national business operation with full P&L responsibilities. Prior to joining GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Bergmann held several management roles at Genentech, Inc., including the start-up and management of its first full-scale commercial manufacturing plant.
Tim Bertram, D.V.M., Ph.D. Vice President, Science and Technology – Dr. Bertram joined the Company from Pfizer, where he was VP Global Research and Development with responsibility for Worldwide Safety Sciences based at the Groton research site and overseeing safety assessment for the majority of Pfizer’s therapeutic areas. He has previously served as: a senior scientific executive at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals and Procter & Gamble Co; a faculty member at the University of Illinois; and a visiting scientist to the National Institutes of Health. His organizations have supported new medicine portfolios that included Gastrointestinal, CNS, Cancer, Respiratory, Infectious, Immunologic, Cardiovascular, and Metabolic diseases with the preparation of regulatory submissions for agencies in major markets around the world.
Paul Chang, M.D. Chief Medical Officer, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Development – Dr. Chang brings over a decade of experience leading pharmaceutical, biologic, and drug-device combination development projects. He was most recently Vice President of Cardiovascular and Immunology Global Clinical Research at Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Over the past decade, he has formulated clinical development plans and regulatory strategies for over 10 compounds in late stage development, and completed multiple successful NDA and BLA filings.
George Landau Vice President, Business Development and Marketing Planning - Mr. Landau comes to the Company from Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, and brings over 15 years of healthcare experience in business strategy, acquisitions, licensing, research and development collaborations, and strategic partnerships. While at Cordis as Executive Director of New Business Development, he facilitated the creation of their drug-device franchise and endovascular business unit. He has also led and supported numerous strategic initiatives as well as acquisitions and divestitures in the fields of surgery, interventional cardiology and radiology, urology, oncology, and pain management.
Gary Sender Chief Financial Officer, Vice President Finance and Administration – Mr. Sender comes to Tengion from ARAMARK where he was Vice President, Investor Relations since January 2003. Prior to ARAMARK, Mr. Sender was Vice President and Controller for Merck's U.S. pharmaceuticals business, in addition to a number of other senior financial positions in its Treasury, Financial Evaluation, Investor Relations and Joint Venture management functions during his 15 year career at Merck.
Gary Arlen Smith, Esquire, Vice President & General Counsel – Mr. Smith comes to Tengion from Enzon Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to joining Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Smith was engaged in private law practice for 15 years and was a partner in the global law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Mr. Smith's practice focused primarily on the life sciences industry, providing counsel to companies in connection with finance and securities, technology licensing, commercial alliances and mergers and acquisitions.
Tengion’s leadership team is also bolstered by the recently announced successful completion of the company’s $39 million Series A financing. The A round investors include: Oak Investment Partners; Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation; HealthCap, and L Capital Partners. Scheer & Company were founders of Tengion and were responsible for managing the Company’s operations in the first stage of its life cycle. Scheer & Company are best known as founders of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., now a division of Pfizer, Inc.
About Tengion
Tengion Inc. is a leader in developing autologous neo-organs and tissues, such as bladders, that are derived from the patient’s own (autologous) cells. Tengion’s proprietary approach to regenerative medicine has the potential to enable people with organ and tissue failure to lead healthier lives without donor transplants or the side effects of current therapies. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Tengion also has research facilities located in Winston-Salem, NC. For more information, visit Tengion online at: http://www.tengion.com.