Douglas S. Boothe has been named president and chief executive officer, Akorn, Inc. effective January 1, 2019.

Mr. Boothe is an industry veteran with extensive experience in the specialty, generic and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals business. He has a long history of senior level expertise in general management, strategy, sales and marketing, product selection, supply chain and business development in the U.S. and global arenas.

Highlights among his many skills are the abilities to produce strong revenue growth for specialty and generic products and lead companies through challenging environments with key stakeholders. Boothe has overseen many successful new product development projects, regulatory reviews and approvals, paragraph IV litigations and commercial launches.  He has also reinvigorated research and development, regulatory, compliance and supply chain platforms in his past roles.

Most recently, Mr. Boothe served as the president of the generics division of Impax Laboratories, which developed, manufactured and marketed bioequivalent pharmaceuticals and was acquired by Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC in a reverse merger transaction in May 2018.

Prior to that he served as executive vice president and general manager of Perrigo Company, with responsibility for the U.S. pharmaceuticals business, which included generics and specialty pharmaceutical products. He also served as the chief executive officer of Actavis Inc., the U.S. manufacturing and marketing division of Actavis Group, and held senior positions at Alpharma and Pharmacia Corp.

“My fellow board members and I are truly excited to welcome Doug to Akorn at this pivotal time for the company,” said board of directors chairman Alan Weinstein. “After a comprehensive search, Doug quickly rose to the top of the list due to his proven track record in helping build businesses, navigate regulatory complexities and guide companies through competitive market environments.”