Anika Appoints Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning

Anika Therapeutics Inc., a global, integrated orthopedic and regenerative medicines company specializing in therapeutics based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid (HA) technology, announced the appointment of James Loerop to the newly created position of executive vice president of Business Development and Strategic Planning. Loerop is a 30-year industry veteran with extensive expertise in business and corporate development within the biopharma sector. In this new role, Loerop will oversee the company’s global business development function, which will include balanced and disciplined management of any new strategic business opportunities, initiatives, mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, alliances, and licensing agreements.
 
“As part of our continued efforts to transform Anika into a global commercial company, we are pleased to welcome Loerop to our executive leadership team to lead our business development strategy,” said Joseph Darling, president and CEO of Anika Therapeutics. “Jim’s depth of knowledge and experience will be instrumental to the refinement and execution of our long-term growth strategy, which will include identifying partnership opportunities to expand our commercial portfolio and global footprint.”
 
Most recently, Loerop served as the chief corporate development officer at Lupin Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company offering a wide range of products such as branded and generic formulations, biotechnology products, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and specialty products. Previously, Loerop held leadership positions with Alexion Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, and Steifel Laboratories, where he led business development teams through numerous corporate development initiatives, including numerous acquisitions. He earned a bachelor of science degree in marketing from Western Michigan University.

“I am excited to lead Anika’s business development team during this critical phase in its evolution into a global commercial company,” said Loerop. “I believe Anika is in a unique position to leverage its innovative technology platform, diverse and expansive commercial portfolio and legacy of fiscal responsibility to forge partnerships and collaborations that will advance its near- and long-term goals.”

Anika Therapeutics Inc. is a global, integrated orthopedic and regenerative medicines company based in Bedford, Mass. Anika is committed to improving the lives of patients with degenerative orthopedic diseases and traumatic conditions with clinically meaningful therapies along the continuum of care, from palliative pain management to regenerative tissue repair. The company 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.