Bradley T. Sheares was named CEO of Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, in January. This makes him one of the highest ranking and most visible African American senior executives in the
pharmaceutical industry.Sheares, 50, spent nearly 20 years working for Merck & Co. Inc., the drug manufacturer at the center of more than 11,000 multimillion-dollar lawsuits involving the drug Vioxx. He left the company in July in the wake of the lawsuits and an executive repositioning at Merck. Sheares is one of BE’s 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America.
In his new position, Sheares will oversee the daily operations of the company, including the marketing of the firm’s lead product, Omacor. The drug is a prescription Omega-3 fatty acid that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The company employs more than 800
salespeople across the country.“I’m thrilled to be joining Reliant at this promising time in the company’s development,” Sheares says. “With the successful release of Omacor, Reliant is well positioned for new growth.”