Manhattan-based Indigo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of new treatments for cardiovascular diseases, currently concentrating on peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Executive Team

Carol Ann Satler, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining Indigo Pharmaceuticals in May of 2007, Dr. Satler held senior posts in the pharmaceutical industry, including leadership roles in medical affairs, clinical research and development and administration in the US and globally (UK and France) for Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis. Dr. Satler specialized in formulating strategic clinical development plans, life cycle management, and commercialization of products each with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion, including Plavix (clopidogrel), Lipitor (atorvastatin), and Lovenox (enoxaparin). Dr. Satler was trained in pediatrics and cardiology at The Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School and served on the faculty at these institutions. She earned an MD, PhD in Biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University, BA in Chemistry from Wesleyan University.

Robert Polke, BS, MBA – Vice President, Manufacturing
Mr. Polke joined Indigo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in August 2007 as Vice President of Manufacturing. Mr. Polke was previously with Par Pharmaceutical most recently as Director of Technical Operations. At Par his responsibilities included the site transfers for acquired products as well as the design and execution of projects to reduce cost of goods and increase product quality for commercial products. Prior to joining Par, Mr. Polke was Chief Operating Officer at development stage company BML Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for manufacturing, formulation, process development, and technology transfer for all company products. His responsibilities included selection and contractual relationship with all contract service providers, and he worked with outside counsel to file and support patent and trademark applications. In addition, he coordinated all activities related to the regulatory documentation and correspondence with the FDA and acted as primary BML contact for the Agency. Prior to joining BML, Mr. Polke held positions in pharmaceutical operations with Pfizer, Watson, Purdue Frederick, and SmithKline Beecham. Mr. Polke earned both his BS in Chemistry and MBA in Executive Management from St. John’s University.

Elaine Richardson, Vice President of Clinical Operations
Prior to joining Indigo Pharmaceuticals in July 2007, Ms. Richardson held various management positions at Forest Research Institute. As Senior Director, Clinical Development, she led the Anti-infective and GI clinical teams, provided oversight for Phase 3B cardiovascular studies, liaised with a number of in-licensing partners and participated in various process improvement initiatives. Ms. Richardson also served as the Director of Clinical Operations for Progenics Pharmaceuticals where her group was responsible for managing all phases of clinical trials for Methylnaltrexone (MNTX) and the Biologics group. Ms. Richardson was previously employed by Sanofi-Synthelabo, GD Searle, Amgen, and Pfizer in positions of increasing responsibility. She holds a B.S. degree from Fordham University.

Albert Yehaskel, MS, MBA – Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Prior to joining Indigo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in July 2007, Mr. Yehaskel was a Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Shionogi USA, Inc. In this role, he managed several IND’s in the asthma, obesity, and atopic dermatitis areas. He also built a Regulatory and Quality infrastructure to support the existing and future development of compounds. Mr. Yehaskel joined Shionogi USA from Sankyo Pharma where he held the position of Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs. While at Sankyo, Mr. Yehaskel filed and obtained FDA approval for two NDA’s, Benicar® and Benicar® HCT. During his career, Mr. Yehaskel managed over 15 INDs. Prior to joining Shionogi and Sankyo, Mr. Yehaskel held regulatory positions of increasing responsibility at Purdue Pharma, Sanofi, Block Drug Company, and Lederle Laboratories (American Cyanamide) where he supported the registration processes of INDs, NDAs, CTAs, MAs, ANDAs, Annual Reports, Safety Reports, and other regulatory submissions. Mr. Yehaskel has extensive experience with various regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as Western and Eastern European regulatory agencies.