Nasal anesthetic maker hires Septodont exec

A start-up company that makes a nasal anesthetic for dentistry has hired one of Septodont's executives as its CEO, according to a report in Coloradoan.com.

St. Renatus of Fort Collins, CO, hired Steve Merrick as its first full-time chief executive officer, luring him away from his position as vice president of global marketing for Septodont's pain control division, the newspaper said.

At Septodont, Merrick shepherded two injectable anesthetics through the FDA marketing clearance process, the report said. That experience is key because his chief task at St. Renatus will be to get the agency's green light for its core product.

St. Renatus is about to start phase III clinical trials of Kovacaine, a nasal mist that numbs the upper teeth but not the lips or cheeks, according to the Coloradoan.