Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals has announced that its board of directors has appointed Michael Minarich as the company’s chief executive officer (CEO). Minarich has served as interim chief executive officer of the company since July 2015.

Prior to joining Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals in 2015, Minarich was providing consulting services to start-ups and early- and mid-stage companies in the biosciences and specialty pharmaceutical industries. He spent the previous 20 years as an expatriate in Asia (Seoul), Canada (Montreal) and Europe (Brussels & Prague) as the Market Company President, Czech Republic for Pharmacia Corporation and at legacy company, G.D. Searle/Monsanto, with increasing responsibilities in international General Management, Marketing and Business Development.

“We are delighted to appoint Mike to the position of chief executive officer of Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals,” said Marco Brughera, CEO and global head of Rare Disease at Sigma-Tau Rare Disease. “Minarich has demonstrated outstanding leadership over the past year, and his appointment comes at a time of development in the company, as it expands through registration, life-cycle management and commercialization of its proprietary R&D pipeline. The appointment of the chief executive role reflects the commitment Sigma-Tau has to the field of rare diseases, and to the significant impact we expect these medicines will ultimately have on their respective physician and patient communities.”

Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals is a U.S.-based, wholly owned subsidiary of the Essetifin Group, and is dedicated to the global development and commercialization of medicines for patients with rare diseases. Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals is based in Gaithersburg, Maryland.