AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Appoints Chief Executive Officer

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals announced that Vincent J. Angotti has been appointed chief executive officer and a member of the company's board of directors, effective Monday, March 6, 2017. Mr. Angotti brings over two decades of experience leading executive and commercial teams at public and private life sciences companies, most recently as CEO of XenoPort, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of treatments for neuropathic pain and other neurological disorders. Mr. Angotti succeeds Howie Rosen, who will continue on the AcelRx board of directors, where he has served since 2008.

"Vince has extensive experience in marketing and commercialization of specialty and mass-market branded pharmaceuticals, as well as in life-cycle management, business development and strategic planning, all of which will be important as we move DSUVIA™ and ZALVISO® forward," commented Howie Rosen, AcelRx CEO. "I look forward to working with Vince to ensure a smooth transition at this critical juncture in the company's growth as I return to my role as an active and involved member of the AcelRx board of directors."

Adrian Adams, chairman of the AcelRx board of directors, added, "The company has enjoyed strong leadership during Howie's tenure as CEO, and appreciates him stepping into that role in 2015. Howie's continued involvement on the board of directors will be beneficial to AcelRx given his long history with the company. The board and I welcome Vince to the team and look forward to leveraging his expertise as we continue to evolve as a commercial company."

Vincent J. Angotti joined XenoPort, Inc. in 2008 as SVP and chief commercialization officer and was promoted to EVP and COO in 2012 and to CEO in 2015. During his tenure at XenoPort, Mr. Angotti was involved in the re-acquisition of Horizant from GSK and implemented a successful re-branding and re-launch strategy leading to XenoPort's acquisition by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC in 2016.  Previous to joining XenoPort, Mr. Angotti held senior sales and marketing positions at Reliant Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2001 – 2008. In his role as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Reliant, Mr. Angotti was integrally involved in the company's M&A discussions that concluded with Reliant's acquisition by GSK in 2007. Mr. Angotti began his career in the life sciences industry at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., where he worked from 1991 – 2001 in sales and operations positions of increasing responsibility. He earned a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in business management from Cornell University in 1990 and a Masters of Business Administration with honors in 2000 from Columbia University.

Vince Angotti added, "AcelRx has made significant strides during the last few years, bringing ZALVISO to market in Europe and submitting the DSUVIA NDA in the U.S. These milestones are a testament to the quality of the science behind these products and to the strength of the AcelRx team. With these qualities in place, I have tremendous optimism for the future of AcelRx, and look forward to leading the executive team as we continue the evolution of AcelRx into a commercial company."