Bassam Damaj

Dr. Bassam Damaj, Ph.D., was appointed to serve as President and CEO on January 22, 2013. Before joining Innovus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Damaj served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Apricus Biosciences (APRI) from December 2009 until November 2012. At Apricus Bio, Dr. Damaj was responsible for the approval of its lead drug, Vitaros, a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Dr. Damaj also signed multi-million-dollar partnerships between Apricus Bio and leading pharmaceutical companies, such as Abbott, Novartis-Sandoz and Takeda. At Apricus Bio, he successfully designed and executed on a business plan that resurrected the company, its technology platform and its products, and grew the company to more than $100 million in market capitalization. Prior to Apricus Bio, Dr. Damaj was a Co-Founder of Bio-Quant, Inc., and served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, and a Director of Bio-Quantís board of directors from its inception in June 2000 until its acquisition by Apricus Biosciences in June 2009. In addition, Dr. Damaj was the Founder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of R&D Healthcare, and the Co-Founder of Celltek Biotechnologies. He also served as a Director at CreAgri, Inc., and was member of the Scientific Advisory Board of MicroIslet, Inc. Dr. Damaj is the author of the Immunological Reagents and Solutions reference book, the inventor of many patents and author of numerous peer reviewed scientific publications. In 2003, Dr. Damaj won a U.S. Congressional award for the Anthrax Multiplex Diagnostic Test. He holds a Ph.D. degree in immunology/microbiology from Laval University, and he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular oncology from McGill University School of Medicine.