Apotex Inc. president and CEO Jeremy Desai has resigned effective immediately from the generic drug giant founded by the recently deceased billionaire Barry Sherman.
A spokesman for the company declined to provide details on Desai's departure other than to note he left ``to pursue other opportunities'' and that the company thanks him for his contributions.
Jack Kay, who previously served as CEO for the privately-held company, will once again step into the chief executive role while also maintaining his current position as vice-chairman.
Jeff Watson, who has 25 years with the company including most recently as president of global generics, has been appointed to the role of president and chief operating officer.
Barry Sherman and his wife Honey were found dead in their Toronto home on Dec. 15, with the cause of death determined to be ``ligature neck compression.''
Sherman, who founded Apotex in 1974 and built it into a company with more than $2 billion in annual revenue, hadn't been involved in day-to-day operations since stepping down as CEO five years ago.