ICN International Board Meets
ICN International, one of three companies formed as part of a restructuring at Costa Mesa-based ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc., held its first board of directors meeting in Switzerland last week.
ICN International is set to run the company’s operations in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia upon completion of ICN’s restructuring.
“ICN is making substantial progress toward the establishment of ICN International with the organization of the board of directors and the appointment of an international management team,” said Milan Panic, ICN’s founder and chief executive.
Panic has spared with a group of ICN investors over the speed of the company’s restructuring. Swiss financier Tito Tettamanti and his Special Situations Partners Inc. has charged Panic with dragging his feet on a plan to split ICN into three companies.
Last year, Special Situations Partners and others successfully ran three director candidates for ICN’s 12-member board.
Earlier this month, ICN increased the number of shares it plans to sell in Ribapharm, the company’s biotechnology arm.
Panic is ICN International’s chairman. Other directors include: Adam Jerney, ICN’s president and chief operating officer; Max Brauchli, a former F. Hoffmann-LaRoche executive; and Andrei Kozyrev, Russia’s former minister of foreign affairs.
PacifiCare Adds New Financial Official
Michael Henderson is the new senior vice president of finance at PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., Santa Ana. Henderson fills a position that had been vacant.
Henderson is responsible for financial planning and analysis, including forecasting and budgeting, healthcare cost trends analysis and provider contract modeling. He reports to Gregory Scott, chief financial officer.
Before coming to PacifiCare, Henderson was most recently vice president and chief financial officer for Presbyterian Health Plan of New Mexico, a $600 million subsidiary of Presbyterian Healthcare Services with 275,000 members. He had been with Presbyterian Health Plan, based in Albuquerque, since 1999. His previous experience also includes nearly 20 years at Prudential HealthCare Group.
Henderson holds a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
,Vita Reed
Edwards Takes Over Laser Marketing
Irvine-based Edwards Lifesciences Corp. has taken over U.S. sales and marketing of a heart laser used to treat severe angina from Franklin, Mass.-based PLC Systems Inc.
Edwards entered into a joint distribution pact with PLC a year ago to handle the company’s t CO2 TMR laser system and related disposable kits. Under that pact, the two companies split marketing and sales duties. Under the new agreement, some PLC sales representatives have joined Edwards’ sales team.
