To maximize the potential of Luliconazole, Topica has assembled a team with deep scientific, product development, regulatory, commercialization and licensing expertise. Collectively, the company’s management team has extensive experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including leadership roles in 15 New Drug and Biologic Licensing Application approvals, 5 of which were through the Dermatology and Dental Products Division of the U.S. FDA responsible for evaluating Luliconazole.
Management Team
Greg Vontz, President & CEO
26 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry experience.
Merck, Genentech, Connetics
Norifumi Nakamura, PhD, SVP Research & Corporate Development
8 years in academic positions; 19 years in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Osaka City Medical School, Harvard Medical School, Green Cross, Anges MG
Joseph Golemme, CFO
25 years of senior financial management experience at the CFO level.
Price Waterhouse, 3 successful venture-backed companies
Katy Morton, SVP Regulatory & Quality
28 years of pharmaceutical regulatory experience.
Syntex, Alza, Johnson & Johnson, Connetics
Stephen N. Rosenfield, General Counsel & Secretary
19 years of legal experience in law firms and as general counsel.
Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, InterMune, Tercica
Amir Tavakkol, PhD, SVP Clinical Development & Operations
8 years in academic positions; 22 years in pharmaceuticals.
University of Manchester/England, University of Michigan/Ann Arbor, Novartis, Schering-Plough & Merck
Aaron Potts, Director of Clinical Operations
12 years of clinical operations and clinical development experience.
Quintiles, Connetics, Stiefel (a GSK company)
Board of Directors
Russell Hirsch, MD, PhD
Managing Director, Prospect Venture Partners.
Charles Homcy, MD
Venture Partner, Third Rock Ventures. Co-Founder and CEO, Portola Pharmaceuticals. President, Research & Development, Millennium. Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Medical School.
Kirk Raab
Former President, Abbott Laboratories. CEO, Genentech Inc. Board Chairman, Connetics Corporation.
Board Chairman, BiPar Sciences.
David E. Cohen, MD, MPH
Vice Chairman, Clinical Affairs and Associate Professor of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine. Chief, Allergy Unit/Occupational and Environmental Dermatology, New York University Hospital.
Greg Vontz
President and CEO, Topica Pharmaceuticals.
Scientific Advisory Board
Topica’s Scientific Advisory Board provides the company with comprehensive support across key development and clinical practice areas, including the design and conduct of clinical trials, evaluation of current treatment algorithms and trends, assessment of the competitive environment, interaction with the FDA and the identification of additional development opportunities. Topica’s Scientific Advisory Board members are leading national and international experts in the management of onychomycosis from dermatology, podiatry and industry.
Todd Anhalt, MD, FACP, FACP
Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA. Chief, Dermatologic Surgery, Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA. Skin Institute, Los Altos, CA. Internal Medicine Residency at Cornell University Medical College, NY. Dermatology Residency at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA.
Jay Birnbaum, PhD
Co-founder and former Chief Medical Officer, Kythera Biopharmaceuticals. Former Vice President, Global Project Management, Novartis/Sandoz. Led the development of oral Lamisil to approval in onychomycosis. PhD in Pharmacology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
David Cohen, MD
Liaison to Scientific Advisory Board, Topica Board of Directors.
Vice Chairman of Clinical Affairs and Associate Professor of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine. Chief, Allergy Unit/Occupational and Environmental Dermatology, New York University Hospital. Dermatology Residency at New York University Medical Center, NY.
William Eaglstein, MD
Clinical Consultant. Chairman and Harvey Blank Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL. Former Vice President, New Product Assessment and External Research, Stiefel (a GSK Company) and Vice President, Global Medical Sciences, Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. Dermatology Residency at University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL.
J. Mark Jackson, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Dermatology, University of Louisville, Division of Dermatology, KY. Clinical Researcher, Dermatology Specialists, PSC, Louisville, KY. Dermatology Residency at University of Louisville, Division of Dermatology, Louisville, KY.
Howard Maibach, MD
Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology. Extensive experience with clinical trials in onychomycosis. Leads a state-of-the art dermal and nail laboratory at UCSF featuring novel methods for measuring nail penetration of dermatology products for treatment of onychomycosis.
Richard Pollak, DPM
Private practice physician. President, San Antonio Podiatry Associates. President, Endeavor Clinical Trials. Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX.
Richard Scher, MD
Professor of Dermatology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Emeritus of Dermatology, Columbia University. President, AAD, 2000-2001; Vice President, 1998-1999. Post-doctoral training, Department of Physiology, Rockefeller University, NY and Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.
Stefan Weiss, MD, FAAD
Adjunct Faculty, University of Miami School of Medicine. Former Senior Medical Director, Connetics Corporation. Dermatology Residency at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Corporate Investors
Prospect Venture Partners
A leading life sciences venture capital firm dedicated to building outstanding biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, with more than $1 billion of capital under management.
www.prospectventures.com
Third Rock Ventures
Third Rock Ventures is a venture capital firm with the mission to launch transformative life science companies. The firm is focused on collaborating with passionate entrepreneurs to build exceptional companies working in areas of disruptive science that will make a difference in the lives of patients.
www.thirdrockventures.com
Yasuda Enterprise Development Co., Ltd.
One of Japan’s largest and most experienced venture capital firms, with a focus on cutting-edge, emerging biotechnology companies with potential for global market penetration.
www.yedvc.co.jp
