BRIDGEWATER, N.J., June 23, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valeritas Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:VLRX) announced today that David Lewis has been named Vice President of Marketing. Mr. Lewis joins the Company with extensive experience successfully building chronic therapeutic brands including several current market-leading brands in diabetes. Notably, Mr. Lewis led the launch of Januvia, one of Merck & Company’s first and most successful new product launches in the U.S. diabetes market, and then went on to lead marketing for the global launch of AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Forxiga for the treatment of type-2 diabetes.

John Timberlake, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valeritas, said, "Dave’s proven leadership skills and his wealth of experience developing and executing marketing strategy for diabetes therapies makes him the perfect candidate to expand penetration of V-Go in the type-2 diabetes market. He will add immediate value given his expertise in building brands with specialty sales teams ranging from 60 to 150 persons and is well positioned to lead the brand as it grows given his track record of marketing leadership over products supported by very large sales teams. His appointment marks a strategic addition to our management team that puts us in an optimal position to build our brand and gain the necessary exposure to significantly ramp our commercial activity.”

David Lewis, Vice President of Marketing for Valeritas, said, "I am thrilled to come on board and contribute to expanding the commercial use of V-Go, an innovative disposable insulin delivery device which I believe can meaningfully help a significant number of patients living with diabetes. What attracted me most to Valeritas is the passion the leadership team has around the value V-Go offers to patients and healthcare professionals and the leadership role that Valeritas can play in the management of diabetes as the company continues to grow.”

Mr. Lewis has more than 20 years of experience in marketing within the healthcare industry with a focus on strategic market planning, physician and patient promotion execution, innovative go-to-market initiatives, and sales-force integration and development. In addition to his experience at Merck and AstraZeneca Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mr. Lewis has developed and executed commercial strategies for Alkermes Inc., and most recently, for a small start-up in the endocrinology market.

About Valeritas, Inc.

Valeritas is a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on developing innovative technologies to improve the health and quality of life of people with Type 2 diabetes. Valeritas' flagship product, the V-Go^® Disposable Insulin Delivery device, is a simple, wearable, basal-bolus insulin delivery solution for patients with Type 2 diabetes that enables patients to administer a continuous preset basal rate infusion of insulin over 24 hours. It also provides on-demand bolus dosing at mealtimes. It is the only basal-bolus insulin delivery system on the market today specifically designed keeping in mind the needs of type 2 diabetes patients. Headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Valeritas operates its R&D functions in a state-of-the-art facility in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.valeritas.com.