MORRISTOWN, N.J., Nov. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the election of two new directors to its Board, John R. Leone and Douglas J. Swirsky at Pernix’s annual meeting of shareholders, held on Wednesday, November 15, 2017. The Company’s Board remains at five members, four of whom are independent, as incumbent directors, Graham Miao, Ph.D., and Tasos Konidaris, did not stand for re-election.

Mr. Leone is currently an Operating Partner at Madryn Asset Management, an investment platform focused on providing capital to healthcare companies. Madryn was spun out from Visium Asset Management, where he was a Partner from May 2013 to January 2017. Prior to joining Visium, Mr. Leone was a Partner at Paul Capital Healthcare, a private equity firm that managed one of the largest dedicated healthcare funds globally (2007 to 2013). Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Cambrex Corporation and as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Commercial Operations at Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Leone currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors of Windtree Therapeutics, Inc. He received his B.S. degree in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and his M.B.A. from the University of Colorado.

Mr. Swirsky was most recently President, CEO and a director of GenVec, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company, a position he held from 2013 through the sale of the company in 2017. He joined GenVec in 2006 as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary. Prior to joining GenVec, Mr. Swirsky was a Managing Director and the Head of Life Sciences Investment Banking at Stifel Nicolaus from 2005 to 2006 and held investment banking positions at Legg Mason from 2002 until Stifel Financial's acquisition of the Legg Mason Capital Markets business in 2005. He has also previously held investment banking positions at UBS, PaineWebber and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Swirsky is the Chairman of the board of directors of Fibrocell Science, Inc. and the Chairman of the board of directors of Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University and his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Mr. Swirsky, who will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee of the Pernix Board of Directors, is a certified public accountant and a CFA® charter holder.

“We are pleased to welcome Doug and John to our Board,” said John Sedor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. “They both have a wealth of healthcare industry-related operating and capital markets expertise experience. We look forward to their strategic contributions as we continue to grow our core product brands and seek new acquisition opportunities.”

“On behalf of the Board, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Graham and Tasos for their valued support throughout their tenures as Board members,” continued Mr. Sedor. “We wish them well in their future endeavors.”

About Pernix Therapeutics
Pernix Therapeutics is a specialty pharmaceutical business with a focus on acquiring, developing and commercializing prescription drugs primarily for the U.S. market. The Company is currently focused on the therapeutic areas of Neurology and Pain, and has an interest in expanding into additional specialty segments. The Company promotes its branded products to physicians through its internal sales force and markets its generic portfolio through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Macoven Pharmaceuticals, LLC and Cypress Pharmaceutical, Inc.

To learn more about Pernix Therapeutics, visit www.pernixtx.com.