New CEO Barry Starkman Takes the Wheel at HemCon HemCon Medical Technologies Inc. has named Barry S

New CEO Barry Starkman Takes the Wheel at HemCon
HemCon Medical Technologies Inc. has named Barry Starkman as its new CEO. He brings three decades worth of biologics and medtech manufacturing with him.

Starkman will be key in leading the company through its recovery from filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which HemCon filed for in April of last year. In March 2011, the company lost a patent infringement suit brought against them by Marine Polymer Technologies Inc. Marine Polymer claimed that HemCon’s chitosan product, derived from shrimp and designed to staunch bleeding in battle and disaster environments, violated its patents for chitosan developed from micro algae. The ruling set HemCon back $29.4 million, forcing it to file.

“As we reorganize and restructure with the objective of successfully exiting Chapter 11, Barry is an extremely important addition to the HemCon team,” said Bill Wiesmann, chairman and co-founder of HemCon. “His leadership and expertise will prove valuable in realizing the full potential of our lyophilized plasma program (LyP program), and in developing the optimal strategy for the Medical Device division. Barry rounds out our executive team, working with Nick Hart who will continue his role as president and CFO [chief financial officer].”

Starkman will be tasked with the execution and delivery of the LyP program through Phase 2 clinical trials, as well as overseeing the facility expansion planned to facilitate the Phase 3 trials. Lyophilization of plasma is used to keep the blood product usable for long periods of time. He will also review the Medical Device division fully, and determine optimal strategy for making it financially profitable.

Prior to joining HemCon, Starkman served as vice president of operations at Promega, where he was responsible for global manufacturing, planning and logistics for the $300 million organization.
Starkman previously had overseen the design, construction, start-up and operation of Genentech’s $450 million formulation, packaging and distribution facility in Portland, Ore., serving as general manager. Earlier in his career, Starkman spent 24 years at Merck taking on increasing responsibility which culminated at director of manufacturing within vaccine operations.

“I look forward to working with the team in a timely exit from Chapter 11 and then helping HemCon realize its potential as a highly successful and viable enterprise,” Starkman said.

HemCon founded in 2001, develops, manufactures, and markets technologies for rapid delivery of plasma and hemostatic devices for the control of bleeding resulting from trauma or surgery.