Depomed Announces Appointment of Santosh J. Vetticaden, M.D., PH.D. as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer

25 Year Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industry Executive Joins Senior Management Team


NEWARK, Calif., Oct. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Depomed, Inc. (NASDAQ:DEPO) today announced that Santosh J. Vetticaden, M.D., Ph.D., has joined Depomed as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer.

“Santosh’s deep experience in the area of pain, his proven ability to collaborate and execute on business development transactions as well as his strong operational leadership will be invaluable and immediately applicable to us as we advance our near and long-term business strategies aimed at improving the patient experience and building shareholder value,” said Arthur Higgins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Depomed. “In this role, in addition to overseeing the Medical and Scientific teams, Santosh will work alongside our Business Development team to assess external opportunities as we work to create a more diversified business. The appointment marks the latest step in strengthening the organization, one that shares the common purpose of putting the patient first. We are very pleased to have Santosh join the team and look forward to his contributions.”

Dr. Vetticaden brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry leadership experience to this role. Most recently, he held the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer of Insys Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products in various therapeutic areas including the area of pain management.  Prior to joining Insys, Dr. Vetticaden held the role of Chief Medical Officer at publicly traded biopharmaceutical companies: Mast Therapeutics, Cubist Pharmaceuticals and Maxygen. Dr. Vetticaden’s professional career includes holding leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson and Aventis (now Sanofi).  Dr. Vetticaden currently serves on the board of Heluna Health (formerly Public Health Foundation Enterprises), a non-profit organization devoted to population health.  Dr. Vetticaden received an M.D. from the University of Maryland, a Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University and an M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Dr. Vetticaden commented: “I am very pleased to be joining Depomed now and being able to assist with initiatives aimed at taking its exciting pain and neurology portfolio to the next level and assessing opportunities to further diversify its business."

Depomed is a leading specialty pharmaceutical company focused on enhancing the lives of the patients, families, physicians, providers and payers we serve through commercializing innovative products for pain and neurology related disorders. Depomed markets six medicines with areas of focus that include mild to severe acute pain, moderate to severe chronic pain, neuropathic pain, migraine and breakthrough cancer pain. Depomed is headquartered in Newark, California. To learn more about Depomed, visit www.depomed.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to risks detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation that any of the Company's plans or objectives will be achieved. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

INVESTOR AND MEDIA CONTACT:

Christopher Keenan
VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
510-744-8000
ckeenan@depomed.com