Heron Therapeutics Welcomes Brett Fleshman As New Chief Business Officer

Heron Therapeutics Inc., a biotech firm dedicated to enhancing patient care through innovative treatments for critical unmet needs, has named Brett Fleshman as its new Chief Business Officer. With 25 years of expertise in corporate and business development, Fleshman brings extensive experience in pharmaceutical and biologic marketing, as well as surgical device strategy.

Craig Collard, CEO of Heron, said in a statement, “Now is the right time to add substantial BD and M&A experience to the management team at Heron, and I welcome Brett to repeat the success we have enjoyed together in the past. Brett will be focused on driving substantial inorganic revenue growth to leverage our established commercial team in the hospital and community settings. He will also lead our investor relations function with the goal of expanding our reach to strategic biopharma and generalist investors.”

Most recently, Fleshman was Managing Director at NovaQuest Capital Management, where he led product-based financing initiatives for advanced-stage clinical and commercial biopharmaceuticals. In this role, he managed deal sourcing, investment structuring, negotiations, due diligence, and the oversight of investments post-close.

Before joining NovaQuest, Fleshman was Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Veloxis Pharmaceuticals. There, he played a key role in crafting a turnaround commercialization strategy, which ultimately led to the company's acquisition by Asahi Kasei in 2020. Prior to Veloxis, he held senior commercial and business development positions at Cornerstone Therapeutics. His work supported numerous acquisitions, asset purchases, and territory licenses, contributing to the company's eventual acquisition by Chiesi Pharmaceutici S.p.A.

Throughout his career, Fleshman has specialized in devising effective strategies for launching new products and revitalizing struggling assets. Earlier in his career, he also served in senior marketing roles at Ther-Rx Corporation and Genzyme Biosurgery (now part of Sanofi Genzyme). Fleshman holds a degree in Business Administration from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University.

Fleshman commented, “In the field of M&A we strive for opportunities to deliver on a mandate for bringing products to such a comprehensive yet specialized commercial team. Working with Craig and many members of this team extensively in the past, we had a reputation for a healthy cadence of deals and delivering strong commercial results. It's great to be back and to offer Heron the experience and contacts gained while financing late-stage and commercial pharmaceutical companies.”