NEW YORK, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH) today announced the addition of two key executives to drive the Company's commercial activities, as it continues to prepare for the launch of Dermagraft(R), ABH's bioengineered product for the treatment of full-thickness diabetic foot ulcers. Dean Tozer has been named Vice President of Marketing and Keith O'Briant will assume the position of Vice President of Sales. Both positions will report to Kevin Rakin, Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Tozer, 39, has been involved with ABH for a number of months with a wide range of responsibilities related to creating the commercial branch of the organization. Prior to ABH, he was an independent consultant to the biopharmaceutical industry, with a focus on product commercialization. In this capacity, he led a number of projects, including the launch of one of the first sequence-based molecular tests ever brought to market. Mr. Tozer has also held a number of roles across functional groups within the pharmaceutical industry. A large part of his pharmaceutical career has involved strategic and product marketing with global and country responsibility. His responsibilities included such products as Arthrotec(R), Cytotec(R) and the global block-buster Celebrex(R). His most recent role within the industry was as Direct of Marketing for Searle Pharmaceuticals in Japan, where he held key responsibility for scaling up commercial capabilities within that organization. At ABH, Mr. Tozer will be responsible for strategic and product marketing, pricing and reimbursement strategies and strategic commercial alliances. He holds a B.Comm from St. Mary's University in Halifax, Canada.
Mr. O'Briant, 41, joins ABH following an outstanding career with Pfizer where he was most recently a Regional Sales Director. He is a seasoned sales professional with more than 15 years of proven sales performance across a wide range of product categories. While at Pfizer, Mr. O'Briant led a group of District Sales Managers with a collective sales team of more than 100 sales professionals. He has a proven record of leadership in the commercial arena with extensive experience in building sales organizations and launching products. Mr. O'Briant was involved with such products as Trovan(R), Zyvox(R) and Diflucan(R) all products geared toward vascular surgeons, podiatrists and wound care clinics which are key ABH customers. At ABH, he will be responsible for recruiting and managing both the sales force and customer relations (customer service/ technical support) arm of the Company. Mr. O'Briant has a B.A. in business from Louisiana State University.
"I am thrilled to bring Keith and Dean into the ABH organization. They each possess a wealth of commercial knowledge and most importantly track records of executing strategies that created dominant products within various segments of the healthcare industry," said Kevin Rakin, Chief Executive Officer of Advanced BioHealing. "The breadth of experience these gentlemen have attained during their careers is remarkable, and I look forward to relying on their expertise and leadership as ABH prepares for commercial launch of our first product."
About Dermagraft(R)
Dermagraft(R) is indicated for use in the treatment of full-thickness diabetic foot ulcers. The product was approved for sale in the United States in 2001. It is also approved and marketed in a number of other countries. Dermagraft(R) is a cryopreserved human fibroblast-derived dermal substitute. It is supplied frozen in a clear bag containing one piece of approximately 2 x 3 inches for a single-use application.
About Advanced BioHealing, Inc.
Advanced BioHealing, Inc.
