Capnia Announces Appointment of Ernest Mario, Ph.D. as Chairman & CEO

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Capnia, Inc. today announced the appointment of Ernest Mario, Ph.D., as the company’s new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Mario joins Capnia from Reliant Pharmaceuticals, where until recently he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Mario has 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He began his career in 1966 as a pharmaceutical researcher at Strasenburgh Laboratories in Rochester, NY. He later held various management positions within SmithKline and Squibb, and joined Glaxo PLC in 1986, rising to the position of Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman. During his tenure at Glaxo, Dr. Mario oversaw the launch of five major brands that grew the company's sales and profits by nearly 15 percent annually. In 1993, Dr. Mario became CEO of ALZA Corporation, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2001 in one of the largest mergers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Mario is an adjunct professor of pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island and a Venture Partner with Pappas Ventures, a North Carolina based Life Sciences Venture Capital Firm. He is a former trustee of Duke University and past Chairman of the Duke University Health System Board. Dr. Mario received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Physical Sciences from the University of Rhode Island. He also holds honorary doctorates from Rutgers University and the University of Rhode Island.

“Ernie’s extensive experience in all aspects of the pharmaceutical industry will be invaluable to Capnia as we prepare to advance our Capella^TM treatment for migraine and rhinitis into late stage clinical studies,” said Edgar G. Engleman M.D., Managing Partner of Vivo Ventures, Capnia’s lead investor. “We feel tremendously excited about his decision to join Capnia and help get this novel treatment on the market.”

“Capnia’s Capella treatment looks to be a truly innovative approach to migraine and rhinitis, two widespread and inadequately treated diseases,” said Dr. Mario. “Capella’s safety profile in over 300 patients could make it a compelling first choice for many patients with these conditions. I look forward to helping to prepare this product for Phase 3 trials and working with the Capnia team to obtain FDA approval.”

Also joining Capnia are two other experienced pharmaceutical executives, both of whom have previously worked with Dr. Mario. James R. Butler will serve as SVP, Marketing, and Ron Haak, Ph.D. will become SVP, Technology Development.

Mr. Butler is a senior executive with extensive experience in pharmaceutical sales and marketing. He began his pharmaceutical career with Glaxo, where over 23 years he progressed from a sales representative to the role of Vice President and General Manager, Corporate Division, with a seat on the Executive Committee. Mr. Butler then worked for ALZA for nine years prior to its acquisition by J&J. In his tenure at ALZA, he served as SVP, Sales & Marketing, before assuming the role of President of ALZA International and ALZA, Ltd., where he had responsibility for both the European and Canadian operations. In addition to serving on the Boards of Directors of several private companies (several of which he co-founded), he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for Respirics, Inc., a North Carolina based dry-powder inhaler company. Mr. Butler holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Florida.

Ron Haak, Ph.D., brings over 25 years of research and development experience to Capnia, most recently as a scientific advisor and consultant to a number of pharmaceutical and drug delivery companies and to the non-profit Institute for OneWorld Health. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of Travanti Pharma. Prior to becoming a consultant in 2002, he was a Principal Scientist and SVP, Technology Development at ALZA Corporation, where he spent 15 years as a senior scientist and executive during its growth and ultimate merger with Johnson & Johnson. During his tenure as a Vice President, he was responsible for key aspects of several new drug applications and successfully took new drug delivery technologies from concept to product launch. Prior to that, he was a senior researcher at the Rockwell International Science Center. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

About Capella

Capella is an intranasal treatment for migraine and rhinitis. It has shown encouraging clinical results and an excellent safety profile in several Phase 2 clinical trials. Capella has been used in over 300 patients with migraine and rhinitis with no serious adverse events observed to date.

About Capnia

Capnia, Inc. is a privately-held drug development company focused on developing novel treatments for migraine, rhinitis and other conditions. Capnia is backed by Vivo Ventures and Asset Management Partners (both of Palo Alto, CA), TeknoInvest and Alliance Venture (both of Oslo, Norway), Sagamore Bioventures (of San Francisco, CA) and a number of individual investors.