About Us

Rodney A. Brown MRPharmS: President

Rodney is a Founding Director and President of PharmaNova Inc. He was also the founder and Principal of PharmaNova Consulting, from which stems the current organization and which provided consulting and training services for the pharmaceutical industry. .  In a career devoted to drug discovery and development his industry experience spans pharmaceutical R&D.  As a pharmacologist and Head of Cardiovascular Research at Fisons Pharmaceuticals, UK, he led numerous projects from concept to clinic. He established and directed project management in both discovery and development in 3 US organizations and the Discovery Project Office as the hub of Research Coordination and Knowledge Management at Astra Arcus USA and AstraZeneca (Neuroscience) R&D Boston.  A seasoned project management professional experienced in multiple therapeutic areas, Rodney has managed international development projects through to NDA in UK, Europe & North America.  Author and inventor of numerous papers and patents, Rodney trained in the UK (University of London).  He is a Board Director of the High Tech Business Council of Rochester NY and member of the Rochester (NY) BioCluster.

Michael R. Violante, PhD., Vice President, Research and Development

Mike has 35 years of experience directing technology development in academic and corporate environments. During his tenure as Associate Professor Radiology at the University of Rochester, NY, Mike developed a patented nanoparticle drug delivery technology to improve the utility of injectable diagnostic imaging materials. He currently directs PharmaNova’s R&D efforts, and is responsible for developing new applications for nanoparticle technology based on his pioneering work at the University of Rochester. 
In 1982 Mike joined Sterilization Technical Services (STS) Inc., as partner and Vice President for R&D.  STS subsequently spun off two companies. In 1991 Mike became Partner and Executive Vice President of STS Biopolymers Inc., a company focused on biocompatible coatings for medical devices. That same year Mike also became Partner and President of Medisperse LLC, a nanotechnology company. 
Mike left STS Biopolymers in 2003 when it was acquired by Angiotech Pharmaceuticals to extend that company’s pioneering work on medicated coatings for medical devices. He then merged Medisperse with PharmaNova to extend his work on the application of Medisperse™ nanoparticle technology to therapeutic pharmaceuticals. Mike Violante is the author/inventor of many patents, peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Deepak Thassu Ph.D., MBA.  Vice President Pharmaceutical Development 

Deepak has 18 years of pharmaceutical product development experience in Research and Development of leading pharmaceutical companies of the world. He is specialized in the field of Novel Drug Delivery Systems with emphasis on oral and transdermal delivery systems for bio/pharmaceuticals. Deepak is an inventor on multiple US and EU drug delivery and formulation patents and is the author and/or editor of several books and book chapters. His first book in the area of (pharmaceutical) nanotechnology, “Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery Systems,” was published in 2007(Taylor and Francis).  During his global career he has held several leadership positions: He was Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President Product Development at Holopack International. Columbia, SC., and with UCB Inc and Celltech Americas he was Associate Director Global Product Technology Development and led several extended release technology and product development projects from concept to clinic.  He was previously Director R&D for a leading south east Asian Pharmaceutical Company; Kalbe farma, (Jakarta, Indonesia).

Thomas C. Parker

Tom, a co-founder and Director of PharmaNova, Inc., is accomplished in building commercial teams and strategically positioning and launching pharmaceutical products in various therapeutic categories.  He has extensive experience in strategic planning, business development, launching, marketing, and selling branded and generic prescription products.  Prior to joining PharmaNova Tom was General Manager for Collateral Pharmaceuticals/Therapeutics, a San Diego – based gene therapeutics biotechnology company, and prior to his position at Collateral, Tom was Sr. VP, Marketing & Sales and Business Development for Celltech Americas. At Celltech, in Rochester, New York, Tom was responsible for growing acquired Rx brands from a $90m base to over $280m in four and one half years.  Tom has also held VP Marketing and Sales positions at Rhone-Poulenc-Rorer Pharmaceuticals (RPR) and Fisons Pharmaceuticals, responsible for over 500 sales representatives.  Tom attended the University of Tennessee and holds a B.S./B.A. and is a graduate of the John Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, Medical Marketing Program.  

David Hessler, Chief Financial Officer

David Hessler is Chief Financial Officer of PharmaNova. He is an entrepreneurial business executive experienced in both operating management and in private equity financing. David has management experience in both large and small technology businesses, including as CEO and business owner. In addition, he has financing transactional experience as a principal of a small venture capital fund and as Managing Director of two middle market investment banking firms. From 1986 to 1996, David was Chairman, CEO and owner of Information Transfer Inc., a privately-held manufacturer of defense electronic equipment.

Prior to investing in ITI, David was co-manager responsible for investing a small venture capital fund in six early stage entrepreneurial companies.  His corporate background includes twelve “fast track” years in a variety of increasingly-responsible positions in many phases of strategic, financial and product planning at Xerox Corporation during a period of dynamic growth.  David holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University; an MS in Engineering from the University of Michigan; and an MBA (with honors) from the University of Michigan. He received additional training at the NASBIC Venture Capital Training Institute, and the Xerox/Harvard Executive Program (Exeter).  He has held National Assoc. of Securities Dealers (NASD) Series 63, Series 7, and Series 24 securities licenses.

Rafael Larramendi, Vice President, Worldwide Business Development

Raf has many years of international pharmaceutical experience including prescription and 'over-the-counter' commerce in the United States, Canada and abroad. He is particularly adept at building corporate partnerships, and implementing highly successful marketing and sales strategies and brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the international arena of Latin America, the Pacific Rim, and Europe. He has held senior marketing and business development positions at e.g. Pennwalt Corporation (President, Pennwalt Mexico & Vice President International Operations), NV Organon (Regional Manager, Latin America), Fisons, Medeva Inc., Celltech Pharmaceuticals, and is a founding partner of ezGMP & Associates, a development stage software company serving the pharmaceutical industry. A graduate of Colegio de La Salle in Santiago, Cuba, Raf's role with PharmaNova is to build and implement our international partnering and commercialization program.