TORONTO, Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Patheon Inc. (TSX: PTI), a leading provider of contract development and commercial manufacturing services to the global pharmaceutical industry, today announced that Aqeel Fatmi, Ph.D., was appointed as Executive Vice President, Global Research & Development of the proprietary products and technology business as well as Patheon's Chief Scientific Officer.

"I am extremely pleased to be formally welcoming Aqeel to Patheon's executive team, as his expertise and leadership within the industry is truly remarkable" stated James C. Mullen, Patheon's Chief Executive Officer.  "In his new role, Aqeel will be focused on supporting the advancement of Patheon's recently acquired business unit focused solely on proprietary products and technology."

"I am excited about the opportunity to move forward with the newly combined company," commented Dr. Fatmi.  "It has been an honor to be a part of growing Banner's business over the last several years and I look forward to playing a further role in developing the new vision and strategy for the business."

Dr. Fatmi most recently served on Banner Pharmacaps' global leadership team as Global Vice President, Research & Development and Operations.  In this role, he managed the development, registration, tech transfer and launch of new and existing proprietary and customer products, as well as the oversight of all of the company's production operations. Dr. Fatmi was a founder of the Georgia Combinatorial Chemistry Center at Georgia State University in Atlanta with a focus to discover small molecule drugs for cancer, HIV and other infectious diseases. He spent a major part of his career at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Senior Vice President of Research & Development, being responsible for the development, approval and launch of new drugs.

Dr. Fatmi holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from The University of Georgia, Athens. After graduation Dr. Fatmi was a National Science Foundation Post Doctoral Fellow for one year at The University of Georgia.

About Patheon Inc.

Patheon Inc. (TSX: PTI) is a leading provider of contract development and commercial manufacturing services to the global pharmaceutical industry for a full array of solid and sterile dosage forms.  Through the company's recent acquisition of Banner Pharmacaps - a market leader in soft gelatin capsule technology - Patheon now also includes a proprietary products and technology business.

Patheon provides the highest quality products and services to approximately 300 of the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.  The company's integrated development and manufacturing network consists of thirteen manufacturing facilities and eleven development centers across North America and Europe.  Patheon enables customer products to be launched with confidence anywhere in the world.  For more information visit www.patheon.com.

SOURCE Patheon Inc.