Nile Therapeutics, a San Mateo, Calif.-based biopharmaceutical company that develops novel therapeutics for heart failure, has promoted Darlene Horton, M.D. to president, CEO and director of the company.

Horton served as Nile's CMO from June 2012 until her appointment as CEO. Previously, she served as CMO of Itero Biopharmaceuticals, a venture-backed biosimilar company. As a co-founder of Itero, she helped raise $17 million in capital and lead the development team. Previous to Itero, Horton served as senior vice president of clinical research at Scios, a Johnson & Johnson company. She also served as the head of the cardiovascular therapeutic area center of excellence for J&J pharmaceutical companies.