Agere Adds New Leadership Roles in Scientific and Business Areas

BEND, Ore. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Agere Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading oral bioavailability contract research and manufacturing organization (CRO/CMO), announced today that it has expanded and added leadership roles to more aggressively pursue scientific and business innovation for the benefit of clients. The three new roles address operations, corporate development and formulations science.

Ryan Minikis, formerly Sr. Director of Chemistry and Formulations, has been promoted to VP of Operations, responsible for cGMP manufacturing operations, quality control, and analytical development. Mr. Minikis has over 12 years experience in the characterization and development of clinical drug products employing a wide range of advanced drug delivery technologies. His expanded role will ensure high levels of quality and scientific rigor are broadly reflected throughout Agere’s clinical manufacturing operations in support of client drug product development.

Casey Jones, an electronic design automation veteran, has joined Agere as VP of Corporate Development. Ms. Jones is an expert in marketing and corporate development for technology-based companies, with over 25 years experience. She has served in executive leadership roles in numerous start-ups and at multiple publicly traded companies, most recently Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ: CDNS).

Sanjay Konagurthu, Ph.D., joins Agere as Sr. Director of Formulation Science. Prior to Agere, Dr. Konagurthu was Sr. R&D Chemical Engineer and Group Leader at Bend Research. His extensive experience includes the development of drug product intermediates and drug products for oral solid dosage forms including solubility enhancement and modified release. Throughout his career, Dr. Konagurthu has managed formulation and process development for a broad range of NCEs as well as product enhancement of marketed products.

“As Agere enters our next phase of growth, we are bolstering and broadening our scientific, management and business expertise to ensure we continue to innovate and deliver the highest quality to our clients,” commented Marshall Crew, president and CEO of Agere.

For information about Mr. Minikis, Ms. Jones, Dr. Konagurthu and Agere, please visit www.agerepharma.com.

About Agere

Agere is a leading CRO/CMO focused on improving the oral bioavailability of insoluble APIs. The company supports clients from formulation design and development through cGMP manufacturing for Phase I through Phase IIb clinical trials. Agere is expert in solid dispersion techniques including spray drying and hot melt extrusion (HME), and in a broad selection of solid dosage forms. All services are delivered on a fee-for-service basis, and every project the company undertakes is customized to serve each individual client’s requirements. Agere is located in Bend, OR. For information: www.agerepharma.com.

©2013 Agere Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Agere Pharmaceuticals is a trademark of Agere Pharmaceuticals, Inc.