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BASEL, Switzerland — Novartis has appointed Brian McNamara as division head of Novartis OTC, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant’s over-the-counter products business unit.
The company said late Wednesady that McNamara, who takes the post effective immediately, replaces Naomi Kelman, who is leaving the company.
According to Novartis, McNamara will take on responsibility for driving growth in the OTC division, ensuring high quality standards and implementing innovative marketing initiatives.
Novartis’ OTC offerings include cough, cold, respiratory, digestive health and pain management medications as well as skin care, smoking cessation and mineral supplement products. Key brands include Theraflu, Triaminic, Maalox, Ex-Lax, Gas-X, Prevacid 24HR, Excedrin and Voltaren.
McNamara has more than 20 years of experience in consumer marketing. He started his career at Proctor & Gamble, where he spent several years in manufacturing management, and later moved into brand management, where he led a number of P&G’s fabric care businesses.
Since joining Novartis OTC in 2004, McNamara worked on a number of strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of several OTC brands. The company noted that he also played a key role in acquiring the rights to the Prevacid Rx-to-OTC switch. McNamara, too, brings a deep understanding of the European OTC market, having served as region head of Novartis OTC Europe from 2007 to 2010.
Kelman joined Novartis last March from Johnson & Johnson, where she held several roles in the consumer, medical devices and diagnostic segments.
"I want to thank Naomi for her contributions to the business and welcome Brian as the new head of our OTC division," Joseph Jimenez, chief executive officer of Novartis, said in a statement. "Novartis OTC is an important part of our broad health care portfolio, and I am confident that Brian will provide strong leadership, focusing on growing our priority brands, consistently meeting our quality standards, and improving performance in key emerging markets."
