Opiant Pharmaceuticals Appoints Seasoned Pharmaceutical Executive Craig Collard to Board of Directors


SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Opiant") (NASDAQ: OPNT), a specialty pharmaceutical company developing pharmacological treatments for addictions and drug overdose, today announced the appointment of Craig A. Collard to its Board of Directors. Mr. Collard has more than 20 years of experience as a senior leader in the pharmaceutical industry and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S. 

“I am thrilled to have Craig join our Board of Directors,” said Roger Crystal, M.D., Opiant’s Chief Executive Officer. “He has extensive experience in corporate strategy, commercial operations, business development and capital markets activities.  We look forward to leveraging this expertise as we continue to advance our addiction disorder and overdose pipeline.”

“I am excited to join the Opiant Board of Directors at such a pivotal time in the Company’s lifecycle and firmly believe that Opiant’s product candidates have the potential to transform the treatment landscape for addiction and overdose,” said Mr. Collard. “As Opiant’s business continues to evolve, I am pleased to have the opportunity to support the Company in executing its strategic plan.”

In his role with Veloxis, a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company marketing a drug to help prevent organ rejection in transplant patients, Mr. Collard oversees all operations and leads all financing and investor activities. Prior to Veloxis, Mr. Collard was the founder, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Therapeutics, Inc., a company focused in the hospital, respiratory and adjacent specialty markets, which he founded with $800,000 in capital. While at Cornerstone, Mr. Collard led three mergers and/or acquisitions and successful integrations and sold the company to Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. for more than $250 million. Previously, he was Vice President of Commercial Operations of Verum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he established the company’s original operations and engaged in all business development activities.

Mr. Collard is currently a member of the Board of Directors of BioMarck Pharmaceuticals. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of Chiesi USA, Inc., and Hilltop Home for severely-handicapped children from 2005 to 2015. Mr. Collard earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University.

About Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing pharmacological treatments for addictions and drug overdose. National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health, describes addictive disorders as chronic relapsing brain diseases which burden society at both the individual and community levels. With its innovative opioid antagonist nasal delivery technology, Opiant is positioned to become a leader in these treatment markets. Opiant's first drug overdose product, NARCAN® Nasal Spray, is approved for marketing in the U.S. and Canada by its commercialization partner, Adapt Pharmaceuticals, now owned by Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.  For more information please visit: www.opiant.com.

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