--Ronald Marcus, MD, Appointed as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs--
--Uli Hacksell, PhD, Appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors--
Baltimore, MD, May 29, 2015 – Cerecor Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with the goal of becoming a leader in the development of innovative drugs that make a difference in the lives of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, today announced that it has appointed Ronald Marcus, MD, as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Marcus has more than 20 years of experience in the development of neuroscience drugs at both Spinifex and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). In addition, the Company has appointed Uli Hacksell, PhD, as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Hacksell was most recently CEO of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACADIA).
"Both Ron and Uli bring to Cerecor extensive experience in the development of drugs targeting neurological and psychiatric conditions, and we are thrilled to have such expertise on our team as we advance our programs in mood disorders, substance use disorders, and other neuropsychiatric conditions," said Blake M. Paterson, MD, Co-founder and CEO of Cerecor.
"Cerecor's unique programs seek to address underserved patient populations suffering from neurologic or psychiatric disorders through targeting validated pathways," commented Dr. Marcus. "I look forward to being a part of this innovative team with a clear passion to make a positive impact on the lives of patients."
Dr. Hacksell added, "Cerecor possesses a strong management team and a pipeline of drug candidates that have human proof-of-concept in the compound or target, which I believe positions Cerecor well to make a difference in the lives of patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric diseases, and I welcome the opportunity to provide guidance for the Company."
Dr. Hacksell is replacing Sol Barer, PhD, who stepped down as the Chairman and as a member of Cerecor's board of directors in April 2015.
"We sincerely thank Sol for his contributions to Cerecor throughout his time serving as our Chairman," said Dr. Paterson.
About Ronald Marcus, MD
Dr. Marcus was most recently the Chief Medical Officer at Spinifex, where he was responsible for driving clinical development and regulatory strategy of its lead compound for neuropathic pain. Prior to that, Dr. Marcus was Executive Director, Neuroscience Global Clinical Research at BMS. In this role, he was Early Development Team Leader for neuropathic pain, schizophrenia and migraine compounds and Life-Cycle Management Team Leader for Abilify®, which included the development of Abilify® for the adjunctive treatment of depression. He has extensive experience in early drug development and possesses both breadth and depth in all of the key functional areas of exploratory and late development, disease biology and regulatory affairs. Dr. Marcus has been recognized within the biopharmaceutical industry for his excellence in overall drug development, innovative strategic leadership and executional excellence while spearheading an industry-leading life cycle management program for Abilify®. In addition to the approval of over 20 New Drug Applications (NDA) and supplemental NDAs globally for Abilify®, Dr. Marcus also led the successful development of Serzone®, an antidepressant. Further, Dr. Marcus has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Marcus received his BA in psychology from the University of Virginia. He earned his MD from SUNY Buffalo and completed his psychiatry residency and the National Institute of Mental Health research fellowship at Cornell University, New York Hospital-Westchester Division.
About Uli Hacksell, PhD
Dr. Hacksell served as Chief Executive Officer of ACADIA from September 2000 to March 2015 and was a member of its Board of Directors. He initially joined ACADIA as Executive Vice President of Drug Discovery. Prior to ACADIA, Dr.Hacksell held various executive positions at Astra AB, a pharmaceutical company, including Vice President of Drug Discovery and Technology, President of Astra Draco, one of Astra's largest research and development subsidiaries, and Vice President of CNS Preclinical R&D at Astra Arcus, another Astra subsidiary. Earlier in his career, Dr. Hacksell held the positions of Professor of Organic Chemistry and Department Chairman at Uppsala University in Sweden and also served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Hacksell is a member of the Board of Uppsala University. He received a Master of Pharmacy and a PhD in medicinal chemistry from Uppsala University.
About Cerecor
Cerecor Inc. ("Cerecor") is a Baltimore-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with the goal of becoming a leader in the development of innovative drugs that make a difference in the lives of patients with neurological and psychiatric diseases by addressing the unmet medical needs of underserved patient segments. We are committed to the development of drugs that improve lives by applying our extensive knowledge and experience in central nervous system disorders. www.cerecor.com
Contact:
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Michelle Avery, 781.235.3060, [email protected]