Anika Therapeutics, Inc. announced the appointment of James Loerop to the newly created position of Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning. Mr. Loerop is a 30-year industry veteran with extensive expertise in business and corporate development within the biopharma sector. In this new role, Mr. Loerop will oversee the Company’s global business development function, which will include balanced and disciplined management of any new strategic business opportunities, initiatives, mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, alliances, and licensing agreements. Most recently, Mr. Loerop served as the Chief Corporate Development Officer at Lupin Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company offering a wide range of products such as branded & generic formulations, biotechnology products, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and specialty products. Previously, Mr. Loerop held leadership positions with Alexion Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, and Steifel Laboratories, where he led business development teams through numerous corporate development initiatives, including numerous acquisitions.