In Brief

Novartis AG names Brian McNamara to replace departing OTC division head Naomi Kelman as the company attempts to recover from a recall and plant shutdown in the consumer health division. McNamara took over Feb. 29 as division head of Novartis OTC, which has a seat on the Swiss firm’s executive committee. He joined Novartis in 2004 after 16 years at Procter & Gamble Co., and has served as Novartis’ OTC region head in both Europe and the Americas. Kelman’s tenure at Novartis lasted just under a year; she left a leadership role at Johnson & Johnson’s diabetes care business for Novartis in March 2011, just as the company was realigning to emphasize the importance of the consumer business Also see "Novartis Makes Room For OTC Division Head On Executive Committee" - Pink Sheet, 21 February, 2011.. McNamara takes the reins of a division attempting to get its Lincoln, Neb., facility back online by mid-year after FDA inspectors found persistent quality control problems and the firm recalled Excedrin and other OTCs Also see "FDA Pressure Likely In Novartis OTC Plant Shutdown, Recalls" - Pink Sheet, 6 February, 2012..