MannKind Appoints Key Execs

MannKind Corp. announced Tuesday that it has appointed Joseph Saldanha as its vice president of marketing and Agustin Quintero as the company’s vice president of market value, access and trade. Saldahna has over 13 years of experience in the diabetes sector and helped commercialize Sanofi’s long-acting insulin Lantus. Quintero has about 18 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and was responsible for negotiating a portfolio of AbbVie products, which included blockbuster drug Humira, in his previous position. The appointments suggest that MannKind, which makes inhalable insulin named Afrezza, is stepping up efforts to market the drug on its own. Sanofi several months ago gave up on marketing Afrezza. In addition to Saldahna and Quintero joining the team, the Valencia biotech also announced that it is postponing its analyst call, which was scheduled for today, until April 26. The reason: Chief Executive Matthew Pfieffer was diagnosed with a retinal detachment and underwent emergency surgery this morning. During the call, Chief Commercial Officer Michael Castagna along with Pfeffer will discuss the marketing and sales plans for Afrezza in the United States. Topics will include rebate programs for patients, expansion plans and timelines for relaunching activities. MannKind shares closed down 9 cents or 5.3 percent to $1.61 on the Nasdaq.