BioDelivery Sciences International, a specialty pharmaceutical company, has appointed Ernest R. De Paolantonio chief financial officer and corporate secretary.

De Paolantonio has over 35 years of varied financial and business experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and his skill set is intended to broaden BDSI's executive level expertise as the company continues its evolution from a R&D and outlicensing business into a commercial stage enterprise.

In addition to overall responsibility for BDSI's finance function, the company expects to leverage De Paolantonio's involvement in manufacturing, supply chain and other commercialization activities, particularly as BDSI looks to finalize its commercial options for BUNAVAIL, an NDA for which currently is under review by the FDA. Similar experience will be valuable as BDSI's moves toward completion of the phase III program for BEMA Buprenorphine for chronic pain, which is partnered with Endo, and in exploring other business development opportunities.

For the past five years, De Paolantonio has been the chief financial officer of CorePharma, a private specialty generic company. De Paolantonio was directly involved in the financial and commercial strategy to establish their proprietary labeled portfolio of products. In addition, he was in finance and controller positions in roles of increasing responsibility at Colombia Laboratories, where he was also responsible for business development and logistics, including supply chain management for the company's first commercial product launch. He had various financial and controller positions at Taro Pharmaceuticals, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Danbury Pharmaceutical.  De Paolantonio began his career in finance at GlaxoSmithKline, where he spent over 17 years.