Sarasota drug company president quits

MANATEE COUNTY — Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals President Dr. Christopher Chapman has resigned from the company, which develops drugs and medications for inflammatory conditions, neurological diseases and behavioral health.

Chapman, according to public filings, left to pursue other matters. He was president for about one year and a member of the board of directors for more than nine years. Rock Creek Chairman and CEO Dr. Michael Mullan will take over the president role, the company says.

Rock Creek moved to Manatee County from Virginia last year and leases space inside the Roskamp Institute, a nationally recognized organization that studies diseases of the mind, where Mullan is CEO. Rock Creek has posted multiple quarters and years of losses, though the amount of the loss has been shrinking. The firm lost $300,000 in the first quarter, an improvement over a $9.8 million loss in the first quarter of 2014. The company lost $38.5 million in 2014.