Octapharma USA Appoints Global Biopharmaceutical Executive David E. Holliday as Vice President of Commercial Development

HOBOKEN, N.J., Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/-- Octapharma USA today announced that David E. Holliday has joined the biopharmaceutical company as Vice President of Commercial Development, assuming immediate responsibility for all U.S. product marketing, sales and commercial activities and coordination with global portfolio development initiatives.

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Holliday is a senior executive with over 24 years of industry leadership experience, most recently serving as Vice President of Global Marketing Operations & Hemophilia with Baxter Bioscience. Holliday has extensive U.S. and international experience with particular expertise in management, commercial, sales, marketing and business development.

"We are very excited to have David Holliday, a true global leader in our industry, join our senior management team," said Octapharma USA President Flemming Nielsen. "David has critical leadership experience with major multinational pharmaceutical and biotech corporations. He joins Octapharma USA at an extremely important time for our company as our product portfolio in the U.S. will be increasing significantly in the next year and we expect David will be integral to our growth."

Holliday also served as Vice President, Global Marketing Operations and United Kingdom Business Unit Director during his eight years with Baxter Bioscience, which included a number of successful product launches. During his 17-year career with Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals, Holliday held progressively responsible management positions, including Business Unit Director of the Transplantation and Mature Products Business Units in the UK.

About the Octapharma Group

Headquartered in Lachen, Switzerland, Octapharma AG is one of the largest human protein products manufacturers in the world and has been committed to patient care and medical innovation for nearly 30 years. Octapharma's core business is the development, production and sale of high quality human protein therapies from both human plasma and human cell-lines, including immune globulin intravenous (IGIV). In the U.S., Octapharma's IGIV product, octagam® (immune globulin intravenous [Human] 5%), is used to treat primary immune deficiencies, and Octapharma's Albumin (Human)® is indicated for the restoration and maintenance of circulating blood volume. Octapharma's wilate® (Von Willebrand Factor/Coagulation Factor VIII Complex [Human]) received orphan drug exclusivity from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of certain types of Von Willebrand Disease. Octapharma employs over 4,000 people and has biopharmaceutical experience in 80 countries worldwide, including the United States, where Octapharma USA is located in Hoboken, N.J.  Octapharma operates two state-of-the-art production sites licensed by the FDA, providing a high level of production flexibility. For more information, please visit www.octapharma.com or www.wilateusa.com.

SOURCE Octapharma USA