KANSAS CITY, Kan. and NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aratana Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines for cats and dogs (companion animals), today announced it has appointed an experienced animal health executive Julia A. Stephanus as Chief Commercial Officer, as part of a recent strategic expansion of the senior management team.  Ms. Stephanus is a commercial leader in veterinary pharmaceuticals and Aratana expects to leverage her significant marketing and commercialization expertise as the Company continues advancing its pipeline of companion animal medicines.

Ms. Stephanus has more than 25 years of animal health marketing experience.  Throughout her career, she has developed and successfully launched new products for companion animals, including innovative first-in-class products such as Rimadyl^®, the first NSAID approved for osteoarthritis in dogs, and Revolution^®, the first topical endectocide for heartworm and fleas in dogs and cats.  In her most recent role at Ceva Animal Health, she led the companion animal franchise, overseeing the commercial development of new products as well as global marketing for strategic companion animal products.  

Steven St. Peter, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aratana Therapeutics, stated, "As we look ahead to Aratana's future success as a premier animal health partner and provider of innovative medicines for companion animals, we are very happy to add Julia to lead our commercial team.  Her 'brand-builder' philosophy and proven track record for marketing successful products will be critical for Aratana as we advance our pipeline and begin positioning our products for commercialization."

Ms. Stephanus stated, "Aratana has built a strong pipeline of companion animal medicines that fulfill significant unmet needs in the market.  I look forward to developing and marketing these innovative therapies, as well as helping to expand the current product pipeline by adding new assets that have significant market potential."

Julia A. Stephanus
Prior to joining Aratana, Ms. Stephanus was Director of the Companion Animal Global Franchise for Ceva Animal Health, a role she assumed following the acquisition of Summit VetPharm by Ceva in 2010.  Ms. Stephanus founded Summit VetPharm in 2005 where she developed and launched Vectra^®, a new companion animal parasiticide product line.  Following the acquisition, Ms. Stephanus transitioned the business and continued building and expanding Vectra, which is expected to become a $100+ million blockbuster global brand.

Prior to founding Summit VetPharm, Ms. Stephanus worked in various sales and marketing positions for Pfizer and its legacy companies, where she had the commercial responsibility for the development and global launch of two blockbuster companion animal products (Rimadyl^® and Revolution^®), as well as numerous other pharmaceuticals and biologicals.   Ms. Stephanus graduated from Indiana University with a B.A., and has continued her executive training at top institutions, including Harvard, Columbia, and the Wharton School of Business.

About Aratana Therapeutics

Aratana Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company positioned to deliver high quality new medicines that address significant therapeutic needs for cats and dogs (companion animals).  Aratana licenses and develops proprietary, patent-protected compounds acquired from human pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and then develops strategies to maximize the value of the programs for the animal health market.  For more information, please visit www.aratanatherapeutics.com.

For Investors & Media:
Joshua Drumm, Ph.D. / Andrew Mielach
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.
(212) 827-0020
jdrumm@tiberend.com
amielach@tiberend.com

SOURCE Aratana Therapeutics