Since 2007 Chuck Casamento is Executive Director and Principal of The Sage Group, a health care advisory group specializing in business development strategies and transactions for pharma and biotech companies. Prior to The Sage Group he was President and CEO of Osteologix from October 2004 until April, 2007. Originally a private VC funded company in Copenhagen, Denmark which had discovered a new drug for the treatment of Osteoporosis, Mr. Casamento commenced US operations and initiated clinical trials in the US, completed a financing with Rodman & Renshaw and Roth Capital Partners and took the company public through a merger with a public shell company. The product was eventually acquired by Servier a major French pharmaceutical company. Osteologix was Mr. Casamento's fifth startup company, all of which were successfully taken public, during his tenure, either through IPOs or through reverse mergers.
He was Senior Vice President & General Manager for Pharmaceuticals and Biochemicals at Genzyme. He joined Genzyme in 1985 while it was an early stage venture backed company and was there during the time Genzyme was taken public. In 2011 Genzyme was acquired by Sanofi for an estimated $22 Billion. In 1989 he co-founded and later took public, Interneuron Pharmaceuticals (Indevus) which eventually reached a $1.6 billion market valuation after a weight loss product that was developed during his tenure was approved by FDA. Indevus was acquired in 2009 by Endo for nearly $1 Billion. In 1993 Mr. Casamento joined RiboGene as Chairman, President and CEO. He took the Company public and completed several major corporate collaborations and R&D collaboration agreements as well as a merger with a public corporation in 1998 to form Questcor Pharmaceuticals, where he was Chairman, CEO and President until August, 2004. He acquired Acthar, a product for MS and for West Syndrome, an orphan drug indication. Questcor was acquired by Mallinckrodt in 2014 for approximately $6 Billion and Acthar has revenue at an annual run rate over $1 Billion.
Prior to joining Genzyme in 1985 Mr. Casamento held a number of marketing, sales, finance and business development positions with Novartis, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Johnson & Johnson and American Hospital Supply Corporation. At American Hospital Supply Corporation he was Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for the Critical Care Division. During his career he has conducted business in more than twenty countries outside the US and has completed well over 100 major business development/M&A deals which had the effect of enhancing and expediting the growth and development of his businesses. He took four biotechnology companies public and secured pubic and VC financing for five biotechnology companies.
He is Director and Board member at AzurRx, Relmada (Chairman as well) and Eton Pharmaceuticals. During his career he has served on boards of 14 public companies. Mr. Casamento served as Chairman of the Audit Committee of Astex Pharmaceuticals until it was acquired by Otsuka a major pharmaceutical company in Japan and he is a SOX (as defined by SEC) financial expert. He is a member of the Fordham University Science Council and has been a guest lecturer at Fordham University. He was previously Vice Chairman of the Catholic Medical Mission Board, a large not for profit organization providing health care services to third world countries as well as a member of the Board of Mount Saint Michael Academy a private high school/prep school in New York City. A graduate of Fordham University in New York City, Mr. Casamento has a degree in Pharmacy and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing Management.
