Richard Franco

Dr. Richard Franco, R.Ph., Chief Executive Officer and Director of DARA BioSciences, Inc., has been a leader in the pharmaceutical and medical industry for more than 35 years. Before joining DARA, Dr. Franco co-founded LipoScience, Inc., a private medical technology and diagnostics company, serving as its President, CEO, Chairman and Director. Prior to founding LipoScience, he was President, CEO and Director of Trimeris, Inc., Biopharmaceutical Company. Dr. Franco has more than a decade of experience with Glaxo Inc., now GlaxoSmithKline, where he served as a member of the executive committee. He was Vice President and General Manager of Glaxo Dermatology and the Cerenex Division, as well as Vice President of Commercial Development and Marketing. He began his career with Eli Lilly and Company, where he spent 16 years. Currently, Dr. Franco is a Director of Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., a specialty pharmaceutical company, as well as of NeoMatrix, LLC, a private medical technology company that commercializes screening systems for breast cancer detection, and of the Research Triangle Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. He has previously served on the boards of Tranzyme, Inc., TriPath Imaging, Inc., EntreMed, Inc., and The United Way of Wake County. He has been a three-time Distinguished Judge for “The Entrepreneur of the Year for the Carolinas.” Dr. Franco earned a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from St. John’s University and did his graduate work in pharmaceutical marketing and management at Long Island University.