ANI Pharmaceuticals Acquires Alimera
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., with offices at 20 Nassau Street in Princeton, has acquired Alimera Sciences, Inc., based in Alpharetta Georgia. The deal, first announced in June, was finalized in mid-September.
ANI is a biopharmaceutical developer and manufacturer of branded and generic prescription products targeted at rare diseases. Alimera is a pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of ophthalmological conditions, specifically diabetic macular edema, for which its product Iluvien is used in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment (NIUPS), for which its product Yutiq is used in the United States.
“Today marks a major milestone in our strategy to expand our Rare Disease business and deliver on our purpose of ‘Serving Patients, Improving Lives,’” CEO Nikhil Lalwani said. “Alimera is highly synergistic to our Rare Disease business, and we believe our proven commercial execution capabilities can further unlock the value of ILUVIEN and YUTIQ, two growing and durable assets, as well as accelerate the growth of Cortrophin Gel in ophthalmology.”
“With this acquisition, ANI now has three commercial rare disease assets, an expanded global footprint and a robust Rare Disease team covering the specialties of ophthalmology, neurology, nephrology, rheumatology and pulmonology. I want to thank the employees of both companies and our advisers for their cooperation and diligence in closing this transformational transaction. We are thrilled to welcome Alimera to the ANI team,” he continued.
“ANI and Alimera share a common mission of putting patients first, and this complementary transaction creates a bigger platform to leverage our global infrastructure and outstanding team,” said Rick Eiswirth, president and CEO of Alimera.
NJDOT Announces Public Awareness Program
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has announced the launch of its statewide Roadway Safety Public Awareness Program, a comprehensive effort aimed at addressing dangerous driving behaviors and promoting safety as a way of life. The program, which will run through the end of the year, will deliver safety messaging on billboards, radio stations, digital platforms, and social media.
Public engagement efforts are part of NJDOT’s ongoing commitment to improving roadway safety for everyone who uses and relies on New Jersey’s transportation systems, including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and people with mobility assistance needs.
The creative concepts are designed to resonate with roadway users on a personal level, underscoring the very real and potentially tragic consequences of distracted driving, speeding, and driving under the influence.
“Unsafe driving behaviors have far-reaching consequences, often ending in tragedies that could have been prevented,” Governor Murphy said. “Too many motorists have developed bad habits behind the wheel — and that is costing lives. This public awareness program is one way to remind people we have a shared responsibility to keep one another other safe on our roadways.”
“People know they shouldn’t text and drive, speed through work zones, or get behind the wheel while intoxicated – but too often, they do it anyway,” NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor said. “That’s why this program is less about educating and more about creating an emotional connection that encourages real behavior change. We want safety to become a way of life, and hope this can be the start of a movement to respect our fellow roadway users, because one bad decision behind the wheel can cost someone their family member, friend, or loved one.”
To watch a video message on roadway safety from Commissioner Fran O’Connor and for more information, visit www.DriveSafelyNJ.com.
The program uses two creative approaches to convey the safety messaging:
The “What If” approach speaks directly to motorists, asking them to consider the potentially fatal consequences of their unsafe driving behaviors.
The “Respect” approach, which will start running in October, aims to change underlying attitudes like indifference and apathy, and restore respect and civility on our roadways.
Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information, and for NJDOT news follow NJDOT news on X (Twitter) @NJDOT_info, the NJDOT Facebook page, or on Instagram @newjersey.dot.
Universal Display Launches Research Grant
A new $75,000 research grant award for the field of organic electronics was launched by Universal Display Corporation at Princeton University on September 18.
Named the Sherwin I. Seligsohn Innovation Award in honor of its founder, who died in 2022, UDC will grant the award to one team, academic or non-academic, that is pushing forward the boundaries of organic electronics innovation in new and exciting ways — whether it be published or unpublished research. Specifically, the theme of this year is projects focusing on organic photovoltaics, or solar.
Entries from across the globe will be accepted for the inaugural award until June 30, 2025, with the winning team of the “no-strings-attached” cash prize to be announced in September 2025.
In addition to the grant money, the winner will be invited to present a lecture at Universal Display’s Ewing headquarters.
For more information or to apply visit www.seligsohnaward.com.
Management Moves: Tris Pharma
Tris Pharma, a Monmouth Junction-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in treatments for diseases of the central nervous system, pain, addiction, and ADHD, has announced the promotion of Manesh Naidu to chief operating officer.
Naidu, who has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and business development, will lead marketing, business development, sales strategy, product lifecycle management, and more for the company’s ADHD portfolio.
“Manesh is a respected leader and experienced commercial executive with a proven track record of effectively managing and expanding brand portfolios to accelerate growth and improve access for patients to important medications,” Tris founder and CEO Ketan Mehta said in a press statement.
“I feel privileged to take on the role of chief commercial officer at a pivotal time for Tris Pharma when we’re growing our portfolio of leading ADHD medications and generating new data highlighting the value of our products and unique delivery technology,” Naidu said. “As we continue our impressive track record of delivering innovative solutions, I remain focused on expanding patient access to our therapies, broadening our product offerings and strengthening our partnerships. Together with our talented and passionate team, I’m committed to ensuring that our work ultimately has a meaningful impact on the patients, caregivers and health care providers we serve.”
Naidu received a bachelor’s in chemical engineering and master’s in chemistry from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India; a master’s in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University; and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Before joining Tris last year, Naidu served as chief marketing officer at Althera Pharmaceutical. He has previously worked for Mallinckrodt, Novartis, Pfizer, Bellerophon Therapeutics, and McKinsey.
Management Moves: Delaware River Basin Commission
The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), headquartered in West Trenton, has appointed Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, P.E. as its next executive director, effective December 1. She replaces Steve Tambini, who announced his retirement after 10 years in the role
Kavanagh has served as the DRBC’s deputy executive director since October 2019. In that time, she has led the DRBC’s technical and managerial teams in implementing the Commission’s water resources programs, forged a partnership with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to advance hazard mitigation and climate resilience and secured grant funding from the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund to advance scientific studies not otherwise feasible under current budgets, among other projects. Since 2020, she has served as staff liaison to the DRBC’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change.
Prior to joining the DRBC, Kavanagh served as the president and principal engineer at Flow Science Incorporated, where she led business operations and development and had significant roles in hydrodynamic and water quality modeling studies for use in adaptive management plans, spill response plans, and long-term planning and operations.
Kavanagh holds a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering: environmental and water resources and a master’s in civil engineering: environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology, both from Stanford University. She is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and eight other states.
She is the interstates representative to the board of the Association of Clean Water Administrators, a past-chair of the American Water Works Association’s Pennsylvania Southeast District and a former President of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Philadelphia Chapter.
The DRBC is a federal/interstate government agency created in 1961 by concurrent compact legislation, marking the first time that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development and regulatory agency. The five commission members are the governors of the basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania) and the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division, who represents the federal government.
To learn more about the Commission, visit www.drbc.gov
