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Antibiotics maker Melinta Therapeutics Inc. has named a new top lawyer amid a corporate leadership shakeup.
The New Haven, Connecticut-based biopharmaceutical company announced that Jennifer Sanfilippo has been promoted to general counsel. She had been serving as vice president, corporate counsel since she joined the company in January 2018.
It was not clear whom Sanfilippo succeeds or whether she is Melinta’s first-ever GC. She could not immediately be reached for comment.
Melinta develops novel antibacterial therapies for serious bacterial infections that often do not respond to other antibiotic drugs.
In late 2017, it bought for $270 million the infectious disease business of The Medicines Co., where, before joining Melinta, Sanfilippo had held in-house roles of increasing responsibility for nearly seven years, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In her new role at Melinta, she oversees all of the company’s legal services and, as a member of the management team, advises senior leadership on strategic matters, according to a statement announcing her promotion.
In addition to Sanfilippo's appointment, two other executive leadership changes recently took place at Melinta. The company appointed Timothy Simon as chief commercial officer, promoted Ryan Lococo as VP of corporate development and strategy to the role of chief business officer, and named its interim CEO John Johnson to the post permanently, pending the terms of an employment agreement.
“Timothy, Ryan and Jennifer are experienced pharmaceutical industry leaders who each bring valuable expertise in drug commercialization and go-to-market strategies, corporate development and legal counsel to the Melinta team,” Johnson said in the statement. “I look forward to working closely with them along with our talented employees as we strive to advance our mission to provide life-saving therapies that address the evolving global threat of bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance.”
A graduate of Rutgers University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, Sanfilippo began her legal career as an attorney at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, where she was a member of the firm’s pharmaceutical marketing and sales compliance team, LinkedIn said.