BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Anika Therapeutics, Inc., (NASDAQ: ANIK), a global, integrated orthopedics medicines company specializing in therapeutics based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid ("HA") technology, announced the appointment of Richard Hague as Chief Commercial Officer.

Mr. Hague, who brings over three decades of commercial leadership experience in the life sciences sector, will report directly to Anika's President and Chief Executive Officer, Charles H. Sherwood, Ph.D. In this role, Mr. Hague holds primary responsibility for leading the Company's global commercial strategy, including opening new geographic markets for the Company's products, and strengthening the Company's reach to end users, through both commercial partnerships and the development of a direct sales capability.

"Over the past two decades, Anika has demonstrated a proven track record of conceptualizing, developing, manufacturing, and partnering a broad range of innovative life science products, enabling us to build a stable, profitable business," said Dr. Charles H. Sherwood, President and Chief Executive Officer. "For our next phase of growth, we believe opening new markets around the world for our products, and reaching patients in new ways, through strong partnerships and direct sales capabilities, will be vital. We are confident Richard's commercial leadership experience will complement our differentiated product portfolio, extensive network of business partners, and promising pipeline of orthopedic therapies to achieve this mission, and ultimately drive future demand and build long-term value."

Prior to assuming his position at Anika, Mr. Hague served as Vice President, Sales and Marketing, for TEI Medical, where he was responsible for driving revenue growth, building the sales and marketing teams, and implementing strategies to drive national account and federal and private payer acceptance of the company's technology platform. He previously was Vice President Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations at Sanofi Biosurgery, where he led the build out of the global sales and marketing team and oversaw all commercial activities in the U.S. for the company's Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine business. Mr. Hague's prior experience also includes leadership positions at Genzyme Biosurgery as Senior Director and Head of U.S. Sales, and Northeast Regional Sales Director. Mr. Hague holds a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Connecticut.

"I am excited to join a company like Anika with its proven success in developing and building market-leading products and its robust pipeline of first-in-class orthopedic and regenerative medicine products," said Mr. Hague. "I look forward to partnering with the Anika team to further advance the Company's already solid commercial platform and pave the way for future success."

About Anika Therapeutics, Inc.

Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANIK) is a global, integrated orthopedic medicines company based in Bedford, Mass. Anika is committed to improving the lives of patients with degenerative orthopedic diseases and traumatic conditions by providing clinically meaningful therapeutic pain management solutions along the continuum of care, from palliative care to regenerative medicine. The Company has over two decades of expertise developing, manufacturing and commercializing more than 20 products, in markets across the globe, based on its proprietary hyaluronic acid (HA) technology. Anika's orthopedic medicine portfolio is comprised of marketed (ORTHOVISC® and MONOVISC®) and pipeline (CINGAL® and HYALOFAST® in the U.S.) products to alleviate pain and restore joint function by replenishing depleted HA and aiding cartilage repair and regeneration. For more information about Anika, please visit http://www.anikatherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements made in the second, third, and fifth paragraph of this press release, which are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, those relating to the Company's product pipeline and growth opportunities and the Company's plans related to direct commercialization of its products. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, and other factors. The Company's actual results could differ materially from any anticipated future results, performance, or achievements described in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors including (i) the Company's ability to successfully commence and/or complete clinical trials of its products, including for HYALOFAST or for expanded indications of the Company's MONOVISC product, on a timely basis or at all; (ii) the Company's ability to obtain pre-clinical or clinical data to support domestic and international pre-market approval applications or 510(k) applications, or to timely file and receive FDA or other regulatory approvals or clearances of its products; (iii) that such approvals will not be obtained in a timely manner or without the need for additional clinical trials, other testing or regulatory submissions, as applicable; (iv) the Company's research and product development efforts and their relative success, including whether we have any meaningful sales of any new products resulting from such efforts; (v) the cost effectiveness and efficiency of the Company's clinical studies, manufacturing operations and production planning; (vi) the strength of the economies in which the Company operate or will be operating, as well as the political stability of any of those geographic areas; (vii) future determinations by the Company to allocate resources to products and in directions not presently contemplated; (viii) the Company's ability to successfully commercialize its products, in the U.S. and abroad; (ix) the Company's ability to provide an adequate and timely supply of its products to its customers; (x) the Company's ability to continue to successfully manage Anika Therapeutics S.r.l.'s business; and (xi) the Company's ability to achieve its growth targets.

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For Investor Inquiries:
Anika Therapeutics, Inc.
Christopher Ranjitkar, 781-457-9000
or
For Media Inquiries:
Pure Communications
Susan Heins, 864-286-9597

Source: Anika Therapeutics, Inc.

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