BOSTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Centrexion Therapeutics Corporation, a company focused on developing non-opioid, non-steroidal therapeutics for the treatment of chronic pain, today announced that Joseph R. Swedish has joined its Board of Directors. Mr. Swedish is Senior Advisor and former Chairman and CEO of Anthem Inc., a Fortune 29 company and the nation’s leading health benefits provider.
"Joe has built a reputation for accelerating financial and operational performance by innovative strategic direction and tactical market realignment, with a passion for and commitment to public service and better healthcare for all,” said Sol Barer, Ph.D., chairman, Centrexion Therapeutics Board of Directors. “With a proven track record of bringing innovation and quality to patient care in America, we expect Joe’s experience and vision will have a beneficial impact on Centrexion Therapeutics’ mission to improve the lives of people living with chronic pain."
Centrexion CEO Jeff Kindler remarked, “We are delighted to have Joe, one of the foremost leaders in healthcare and patient advocacy, join our board. This is an exciting time for Centrexion as we move our lead candidate, CNTX-4975, through our Phase 3 program and prepare for potential commercialization. Joe’s experience will be invaluable as we continue our growth into a leading pain therapeutics company.”
“I am honored to be a contributor to solving the problem of chronic pain with innovative and transformative therapies that create improvement in the quality of life, plus address a burgeoning health system and societal challenge,” said Mr. Swedish.
Mr. Swedish brings significant healthcare leadership to the Centrexion board. Most recently, Mr. Swedish served as Chairman, President and CEO of Anthem. The company experienced strong financial performance under his leadership since joining the company in March 2013, growing Anthem’s membership by 11 percent, nearly quadrupling the average share price, and increasing operating revenue 39 percent to over $80 billion. His leadership and influence have been nationally recognized as well: Modern Healthcare has named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare for the twelfth year in a row, ranking him in the top 20 of the health sector’s most senior-level executives. Additionally, Mr. Swedish works closely with political leaders and policymakers to find innovative, cost-effective solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his master’s degree in health administration from Duke University.
About Centrexion Therapeutics
Centrexion Therapeutics Corp. is focused on advancing the treatment of chronic moderate to severe pain with one of the largest, exclusively pain-focused pipelines of non-opioid, non-addictive therapies in active development. Centrexion Therapeutics recognizes the needs of over a quarter of a billion people living with chronic pain worldwide, and aims to develop new, safer and more effective therapies that overcome the limitations and challenges associated with current pain treatments. Founded by world-renowned leaders in drug development and well-funded by key investors, Centrexion Therapeutics is building a pain treatment powerhouse to address the substantial and growing global chronic pain epidemic. For more information about Centrexion Therapeutics, visit http://www.centrexion.com.
Centrexion Therapeutics Corp. retained premier executive search firm Ignite Search Partners, specializing in biotech, pharmaceutical and medical tech/device industries, to conduct the search.