Nephron Pharmaceuticals announced Friday that Lou Kennedy is out as chief executive, according to the report on Nephron. The release called the change a “leadership transition” and named Haywood Miller interim CEO, but gave no reason for Kennedy’s departure.
Kennedy had held the chief executive role since 2007. She oversaw the opening of Nephron’s large manufacturing center near Cayce in 2015, according to the report. A South Carolina native, she also spearheaded the company’s headquarters move from Orlando, Florida, to South Carolina. At one point, Nephron’s Lexington County headquarters employed 1,200 full-time workers manufacturing pharmaceuticals and medical products.
Lou Kennedy Out as Miller Takes Interim Role
Nephron’s announcement identified Miller as the interim chief executive. It described him as having a 30-year background in pharmaceuticals and health care. Miller had advised the company for the past several months while serving as a managing director at Berkeley Research Group. His biography there lists experience as a “chief restructuring officer.”
Richard Shinder, whom the release identified as Nephron’s independent manager, thanked Kennedy for her leadership and years of service. Shinder said the company welcomed Miller because of his operational expertise and familiarity with its business. The release tied his appointment to the company’s transformation and growth initiatives.
Miller described Nephron as having a strong foundation. In the release, he said he looked forward to working with the team on the company’s growth and transformation strategy and continuing to serve medicine providers nationwide. The announcement did not specify how long Miller would serve as interim CEO or outline a timetable for selecting a permanent leader.
The transition follows several reported events at the company, though the report does not connect them to Kennedy’s departure. In 2022, Nephron recalled around 2 million individual products because of sterility concerns in the manufacturing process at its center. Food and Drug Administration inspectors later cited several deficiencies in procedures at the 715,000-square-foot facility.
Earlier this year, a lawsuit filed against Nephron by a former executive alleged that she had been told to falsify audit data, including records involving fentanyl lost from company facilities. That remains an allegation in the lawsuit, not an established finding in the report. Kennedy did not return a call from The State seeking comment Friday afternoon.
The report does not link the leadership change to the recall, inspection findings or lawsuit. A separate CEO departure followed pressure from public officials in another case, while another organization’s interim search began after its board accepted a resignation. Coverage of a newsroom leader’s experience offers another example of executive leadership coverage.
For Nephron, the source says Miller had advised the company for several months and would work on its stated growth and transformation plans. It gives no reason for Kennedy’s departure or timeline for a permanent appointment.