News Release
Merz Therapeutics Appoints Leonard Paolillo as President of North America
Frankfurt am Main, Germany / Raleigh, United States. – July 30, 2024 – Merz Therapeutics announces today the appointment of Leonard Paolillo as President, Merz Therapeutics North America, effective immediately. In this role, Leonard will join the Global Therapeutics Executive Team and head the North America Leadership team. His leadership will be pivotal in advancing Merz Therapeutics’ growth strategy and ensuring the continued success of its expanding portfolio of products.
As the President of North America, Leonard’s primary responsibility will be leading the commercial strategy and execution of the organization’s expanding product portfolio across the U.S. and Canada businesses, while furthering Merz Therapeutics’ commitment to bringing better outcomes for more patients. Leonard will be based out of the Merz Therapeutics North America affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of Merz Therapeutics, and I am delighted to welcome Leonard to the company,” said Stefan König, CEO of Merz Therapeutics. “Leonard’s deep industry knowledge and wealth of experience leading biopharmaceutical commercial and corporate strategies make him the ideal choice to lead our North American operations. We are confident that under his guidance, Merz Therapeutics will continue to grow and achieve new milestones, driving our vision to be the leader in neurology-focused specialty pharma.”
Leonard joins Merz Therapeutics with more than two decades of extensive experience in both start-up and global biopharmaceutical sectors. Most recently, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer and subsequently as the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Impel Pharmaceuticals, where Leonard was instrumental in shaping the corporate, product and commercial strategies, successfully launching the company’s intranasal migraine treatment.
Prior to his tenure at Impel Pharmaceuticals, Leonard served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Kyowa Kirin Inc., the North American affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd. In this role, he spearheaded the growth and transformation of the commercial infrastructure, enabling the successful launches of the company’s pipeline products in hematology/oncology, central nervous system and rare disease. Earlier in his career, he served as senior director of sales at Warner Chilcott Pharmaceuticals, where he led sales forces across multiple therapeutic areas.
The appointment of Leonard Paolillo as the President of North America marks another important milestone in the Merz Therapeutics’ global Pivot for Growth strategy. This strategic move underscores the company’s commitment to evolving its current portfolio, achieving critical scale and global reach and delivering greater, sustainable outcomes for more people living with neurological disorders.
Merz Therapeutics
Merz Therapeutics is dedicated to improving the lives of patients around the world. With its relentless research, development and culture of innovation, Merz Therapeutics strives to serve unmet patient needs and realize better outcomes. Merz Therapeutics seeks to address the unique needs of people who suffer from movement disorders, neurological conditions, liver disease and other health conditions that severely impact patients’ quality of life.
Merz Therapeutics is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and is represented in more than 90 countries, with a North America affiliate based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Merz Therapeutics GmbH is part of the Merz Group, a privately held, family-owned company that has dedicated 115 years to developing innovations that serve unmet patient and customer needs
Please visit www.merztherapeutics.com
Corporate Contact:
Nicole Lovern
Corporate Communications
Merz Therapeutics
6601 Six Forks Road, Suite 430, Raleigh, NC 27615
(571) 442-9665
Nicole.Lovern@merz.com