Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Amarin names Colin Stewart as new CEO, president

By Michelle Lang

Amarin Corp. plc has appointed Colin Stewart as president and CEO of the clinical stage, cardiovascular disease-focused biopharmaceutical firm, which has its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and its research and development headquarters in Mystic, Conn. Stewart will also take a seat with Amarin’s board of directors.

In his new role, Stewart will be responsible for pushing Amarin’s lead product, a cholesterol treatment called AMR101 for high triglycerides, through the Phase 3 clinical trials it is currently undergoing.

Stewart joins the company having previously served as president and CEO of Newtown, Pa.-based CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc., which was acquired by Galderma Laboratories Inc. in 2008. He has also worked with the ASTA Medica Group in the U.S. and abroad and with Winthrop Laboratories Ltd. in the U.K.

Amarin interim CEO Declan Doogan will serve as chief medical officer of the company.

In December, Amarin announced that Joseph Zakrzewski would take the role of executive chairman on the board of directors, replacing former chairman Thomas Lynch. Zakrzewski also serves as chairman of Marlborough-based Xcellerex Inc. 

Amarin (Nasdaq: AMRN) opened its R&D headquarters in Connecticut in December 2008, noting that the new location would help the company attract U.S. talent in research and development.