Elan Names John Moriarty Jr. as General Counsel

John Moriarty Jr. has been named General Counsel of Elan plc, effective immediately.

As Elan's chief legal officer, reporting to CEO Kelly Martin, Moriarty is responsible for Elan's legal organization and will become a member of the senior executive leadership team. He will also act as resource to the Board of Directors, as well as all members of executive management on matters that span all aspects of the company as they relate to the broad array of legal matters.

"Elan's superb legal team will continue to play a critical part in our mission to serve the unmet medical needs of patients around the world," Martin said. "I am confident that John has the experience and ability to lead the group, and I know he will serve as an important advisor as we move the Company forward."

Moriarty joined Elan in 2008 as Senior Vice President, Legal - Commercial Operations & Litigation, where he led our Commercial Operations legal team. He played a key role in the successful completion of the $1.4 billion Johnson & Johnson transaction; and, he has skillfully managed our litigation efforts and activity. In addition, Moriarty has managed Elan's governmental investigations, third-party subpoenas and employment litigation, and he also has worked closely with EDT on litigation matters related to that business.

Moriarty's background positions him uniquely as someone who understands the complexity of a biotechnology business/drug delivery business and how that intersects with the evolving legal landscape.

Prior to joining Elan, Moriarty developed a skill set and experience that has both breadth and depth across many aspects of the industry and the legal profession. While at Amgen Oncology, he served as Executive Director and Associate General Counsel, Global Commercial Operations, and was Amgen's Senior Counsel, Complex Litigation, Products Liability and Government Investigations.

Before working at Amgen, Moriarty was a Senior Associate in a national law firm's healthcare practice, representing clients of the firm’s Healthcare Fraud and Abuse and Health Litigation groups. His areas of expertise included reimbursement (Medicare, Medicaid and third-party payment programs), federal and state government investigations and proceedings, and corporate internal investigations. Earlier, he was a healthcare fraud prosecutor in the Virginia Office of the Attorney General and also served for two years as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for healthcare fraud. Moriarty  also gained broad healthcare experience and insight as a member of the Healthcare Fraud Committee, National Association of Attorneys General.

Rick Collier, Elan's current General Counsel, will remain with Elan for a period of time and serve as a senior advisor to Martin, the senior executive team and the Board of Directors on matters that pertain to Elan plc.

"Over the previous five years, in his capacity as our General Counsel and accountable for both Audit as well as Compliance, Rick has contributed across all aspects of the company," Martin said. "Rick is an outstanding professional, colleague, resource and asset to Elan and we are fortunate to continue to have access to his talents, wisdom and insights on matters of importance to Elan."