Anika Therapeutics Appoints Vice President of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs

Anika Therapeutics Inc., a global, integrated orthopedic firm specializing in therapeutics based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid (“HA”) technology, has appointed Steven Chartier as vice president of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs. Chartier brings more than 25 years of operational expertise leading global regulatory strategy, especially in the Asia Pacific markets, and clinical development for emerging and established companies in the medical technology and biotechnology industries. In his new role at Anika, Chartier will be responsible for overseeing and directing the clinical development course for the company’s orthobiologics and regenerative medicine pipeline and advancing promising candidates like CINGAL and HYALOFAST through U.S. and ex-U.S. regulatory channels.
 
“We’re excited to strengthen and solidify our regulatory and clinical development capabilities with the addition of Mr. Chartier, a veteran regulatory and clinical affairs professional with proven expertise in spearheading regulatory strategy and leading a wide array of products through U.S. and global approvals,” said Charles H. Sherwood, Ph.D., CEO of Anika Therapeutics. “Mr. Chartier is the latest of the strategic, senior-level hires we’ve made to advance our robust orthobiologics and regenerative medicine pipeline, and build out our direct commercialization capabilities that will bring forth the next decade of growth for Anika.”
 
Most recently, Chartier served as vice president of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at Augmenix Inc., a growth-oriented, privately-held medical device company focused on improving the outcomes of radiotherapy through the use of absorbable hydrogels. Prior to his time at Augmenix, Chartier served as chief operations officer at PixarBio Corporation and chief operating officer at Infraredx Inc., where he developed broad operational prowess and led U.S. and global regulatory, quality and clinical development strategy for these entrepreneurial organizations. Chartier also held positions at Biogen Inc., a large public company opportunity where he honed his clinical development skills, and at Nucryst Pharmaceuticals, where he spent almost a decade building and maintaining the regulatory and quality functions to support worldwide approval and compliance of regulated medical device and pharmaceutical products.
 
“Anika’s commercial portfolio and global footprint are impressive, and I see potential in its product pipeline that lends itself to a steady flow of regulatory filings and approvals in the U.S. and overseas,” said Chartier. “I believe my experience working with Asia Pacific regulatory authorities will be especially valuable to Anika, as this region represents a tremendous growth opportunity for the orthopedic medicine market.”
 
Chartier launched his career in clinical research and clinical trial coordination at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Chartier received a Regulatory Affairs Certification from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society in 2003, and he has a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Saint Anselm College.
 
Anika Therapeutics is based in Bedford, Mass. Anika has over two decades of global expertise developing, manufacturing, and commercializing more than 20 products based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid (HA) technology. Anika’s orthopedic medicine portfolio includes ORTHOVISC, MONOVISC, and CINGAL, which alleviate pain and restore joint function by replenishing depleted HA, and HYALOFAST, a solid HA-based scaffold to aid cartilage repair and regeneration.