About Us

• Formulation and Process Development
• Development of Multilayer Tablet Systems & Combination Products
• Bioavilability Enhancement using Complexations and Solid-State Dispersion
• Development of Opthalamic, Solid Oral, Liquid Oral, Semi-Solid, Parenteral, and Topical Dosage Forms
• Lead Development/Assisted with Development of over 200 products.

Brian has more than 20 years experience in pharmaceutical executive management while still assisting with formulation development activities to ensure retention of his skills and keep abreast of new technology and processes.

Brian McMillan is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Bravado Pharmaceuticals, based in Lutz, Florida. A pharmaceutical development scientist with more than 30 years of experience in analytical and formulation development, Mr. McMillan has built a distinguished career at nationally recognized organizations including Roxane Laboratories, Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals, MDS Pharma Services, and CoreRx, where he served as Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer.

Throughout his career, Mr. McMillan has specialized in the development of complex pharmaceutical dosage forms, including multi-layer tablet systems, combination products, and bioavailability enhancement technologies utilizing complexation, solid-state dispersion, and other advanced formulation approaches. He has served as lead scientist or key contributor in the development of more than 200 pharmaceutical products spanning ophthalmic, oral solid, oral liquid, semi-solid, parenteral, and topical dosage forms.

During his tenure at Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals, Mr. McMillan served as the lead formulation and process development scientist for Retisert®, the world’s first intravitreal drug implant approved for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye. The sterile implant delivers fluocinolone acetonide directly to the posterior segment, representing a significant advancement in ophthalmic drug delivery technology.

As Co-Founder and CTO of CoreRx, Mr. McMillan led the development of numerous innovative pharmaceutical products. Among his notable achievements was the development of Peramivir (Rapivab®) in solution, suspension, and lyophilized dosage forms. The lyophilized formulation was subsequently stockpiled by the United States government as part of its pandemic influenza preparedness program for H1N1 influenza. He also developed more than a dozen analgesic oral solution products and numerous immediate-release (IR) and modified-release (MR) mono-layer, bi-layer, and multi-layer tablet systems.

Mr. McMillan was the lead scientist responsible for developing the formulation platforms for Contrave®, the first FDA-approved combination drug product for chronic weight management, including mono-layer, bi-layer, and tri-layer tablet configurations. He also led formulation development for TSX-049, TesoRx’s novel oral testosterone replacement therapy containing testosterone undecanoate designed to restore physiological testosterone levels in men with hypogonadism.

Additionally, Mr. McMillan served as the initial formulator for PALFORZIA®, the first FDA-approved oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy. PALFORZIA helps reduce the severity of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, resulting from accidental peanut exposure.

Most recently, as Founder and CEO of Bravado Pharmaceuticals, Mr. McMillan led the formulation development of CoVer Nasal Antibody Drops, a novel intranasal antibody platform developed in collaboration with Stanford University and SPARK GLOBAL. Designed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the formulation creates an antibody barrier within the nasal cavity, helping prevent viral attachment and entry through ACE receptor-mediated pathways.

Beyond his industry accomplishments, Mr. McMillan has contributed extensively to pharmaceutical education. He has served as an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy, teaching preformulation sciences and formulation development across multiple dosage forms. During his Medicinal Chemistry studies at the University of Florida, he collaborated with the Smithsonian Marine Institute in Fort Pierce, Florida, harvesting, synthesizing, and elucidating natural product molecules with significant antioxidant properties and potential therapeutic applications in oncology and healthy aging.

Mr. McMillan is also a recognized expert in pharmaceutical excipient technology. He has served as a keynote speaker and advisory board member for JRS Pharma, a global leader in tablet excipient technology, and has collaborated on the development and advancement of innovative excipient platforms, including orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) technologies and directly compressible excipient systems such as PROSOLV® EZ Tab.

With more than three decades of pharmaceutical innovation, product development, and commercialization experience, Brian McMillan continues to lead the advancement of novel drug delivery systems and therapeutic technologies through Bravado Pharmaceuticals.

• Quality Assurance/Quality Control 
• Method Development/Validation
• Analytical Testing
• GMP Investigations
• Development and Execution of Training
• Formulation and Process Development

Shannon is currently an executive in the pharmaceutical industry with more than 10 years experience as a leader in the lab and quality arenas and almost 15 years experience in academia.  

Shannon Kennedy joined the Bravado Team in 2022 as Director of Quality Assurance and has since moved into her current role as VP & COO because of her commitment to this company and its clients.  Shannon has almost 25 years of experience split between academia and the pharmaceutical industry.  She taught chemistry at the high school and collegiate levels prior to joining industry in 2013, where her skills were quickly recognized, moving her up the ranks in the lab and into quality assurance. Her expertise is in GMP analytical testing, method development and validation, and quality assurance for non-sterile products. She was instrumental in the development of a formal training program for lab personnel and significantly reducing investigation timelines at CoreRx from greater than 6 months on average to less than 30 days. She also has experience with quality assurance of both sterile and non-sterile compounded products. Bravado is pleased to have Shannon’s knowledge and skills leading our lab team.
 
EDUCATION

• The University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, M.S. in Pharmacy 
  (forensic science concentration),  2015
  
• The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Ph.D. in Chemical Physics, 2007
  
• The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, M.S. in Chemical Physics, 2004
  
• Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, B.A. Chemistry, 1998
  
• Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, B.A. Comprehensive Science Education, 1998

• Project Logistics
• Project Management
• Business Operations

Molly has more than 20 years experience as an entrepreneur and has been apart of Bravado since its inception providing support for logistics and operations.

Molly Berberich is a Michigander who transplanted to Florida in 1993. Married with three grown daughters, Molly joined Brian in Dec 2019; together they launched the Bravado team and the company’s opening on March 2, 2020. Molly brings a background of 20 years sales experience and business ownership in the corporate apparel and marketing industry.  She is effective at managing projects, organizing the administration process, coordinating marketing events, and establishing a collaborative work environment.  Her focus is centered on excellent customer relationships with clients and vendors.

• Project Planning

• Procurement Management

• Resource Management

• Team Leadership

• Analytical Testing

• Cosmetic Formulation and Development

• Polymer Chemistry 

Ashley is part of the original Bravado team members pioneering our Nasal Prophylaxis “coVer” for Covid Virus prevention. Ashley has 12 years experience as a QC and R&D Chemist across pharmaceutical, polymer and cosmetic industries. She is the founder of a Medspa beauty brand Elixir beauty by Ashley Mandell. 

Dr. Malgorzata Frik is a Ph.D. inorganic chemist and accomplished analytical scientist with extensive expertise in method development, validation, and regulatory-grade quality control in FDA-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing. She has led the establishment of cGMP-compliant QC laboratory, authored SOPs, validation protocols, and technical reports aligned with FDA, USP, and ICH standards, and advanced analytical programs to support compliant product release. With proficiency in HPLC/UPLC, GC, ICP-OES, TOC, NMR and other instrumentation, Dr. Frik is recognized for her ability to deliver robust analytical methods that ensure product quality and support regulatory submissions. She earned her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the City University of New York Graduate Center and brings a strong track record of innovation, technical leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to advance method reliability, product excellence, and patient safety.

Kelsey has previously worked as a Clinical Research Assistant at the Ohio State University in the Comprehensive Cancer Center.  As one of only 49 designated comprehensive centers in the Nation – Arthur G. James Cancer Center and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is “dedicated to the creation of knowledge in laboratory, clinical and population-based cancer research.  Applied discoveries are used to develop more effective approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and therapies – providing tomorrows standard of care today”.  The statement in her employment letter years ago says, “A Cancer-Free World Begins Here, Welcome to the OSU CCC!”.  Kelsey is currently a first-year resident at Duke Medical Center, Raleigh, NC with goals to complete her residency in Oncology over the next two years.

Kelsey’s Academic Background:

• Freedom HS, Tampa Palms, FL
• BS in Biochemistry, The Ohio State University (Minor in Pharmaceutical Studies)
• MS in Pharmacology, The Ohio State University
• PharmD, The Ohio State University