Nexvet appoints VP of operations

Nexvet Biopharma has added IP and technology law expert Geraldine Farrell to its management team.

The Melbourne-based veterinary biologic drug developer has named Farrell its new vice president of operations and general counsel.

Farrell was most recently special counsel for Griffith Hack IP Lawyers. She has almost two decades of experience in IP and technology law across the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, mining, clean technology and software/ICT sectors.

Farrell is also a Swinburne University council member and a director of the university’s commercialisation subsidiary Swinburne Ventures. She is a former AusBiotech director.

Nexvet CEO Mark Heffernan said Farrell is joining the company “at an important time ... as we rapidly develop our unique portfolio of animal drugs for the treatment of canine, feline and equine diseases, including osteoarthritis, inflammatory diseases and cancer”.

The Nexvet business model focuses on using its PETisation platform to adapt human biologics into versions customised for animals including dogs, cats and horses. The company signed its first licensing deal for a PETisation-based biologic in August last year.

Commenting on her appointment, Farrell said the Nexvet product portfolio offers some “exciting” opportunities.

“As a dog lover myself, joining Nexvet also brings a lot of personal satisfaction. Buddy, our labradoodle, was fully supportive of this unique career opportunity,” she added.