RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evecxia Therapeutics, Inc., the leader in serotonin synthesis amplification to treat neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced the appointments of Allan L. Shaw and Elliot Ehrich, MD to its Board of Directors, bringing with them decades of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.
“We welcome Allan and Elliot to our team. We are excited to draw on their impressive backgrounds as we continue to progress Evecxia’s drug candidates through clinical development and towards commercialization,” said Jacob Jacobsen, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Evecxia Therapeutics. “Allan’s financial and deal-making expertise and Elliot’s track record of developing CNS drugs, from research through approval, will position Evecxia well going forward, as we advance our drug candidates EVX-101 and EVX-301 into Phase 2 clinical trials and continue to further build out the Company.”
“Evecxia is at an important stage of growth, and I am thrilled to help advance the Company’s groundbreaking drug candidates to improve outcomes for patients suffering from treatment non-responsive depression and suicidal ideation, representing huge unmet medical needs and large market opportunities,” stated Mr. Shaw. “I look forward to working with the Evecxia team and Board to help execute on the Company’s strategic goals and maximize shareholder value.”
“Evexcia’s differentiated approach to enhance serotonergic tone has the potential to uniquely benefit the large proportion of patients with depression who remain symptomatic despite being treated with currently available treatments,” stated Dr. Ehrich. “I look forward to serving on the Board and working with the Evecxia team to advance the clinical development and realize the therapeutic promise of EVX-101 and EVX-301.”
Mr. Shaw brings to Evecxia more than 20 years of leadership experience managing public companies from financial, operational and strategic global business perspectives. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Portage Biotech and has served on seven public boards including chairing three audit committees and three compensation committees. Mr. Shaw is also a five-time public company Chief Financial Officer and an experienced deal executive, who has structured, directed, negotiated, and closed over $4 billion in public and private financings, for several companies, including several IPOs. Mr. Shaw received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Oswego and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York as well as a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Dr. Ehrich is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at LifeMine Therapeutics. Prior to LifeMine, Dr. Ehrich was President of Skyhawk Therapeutics and a Venture Partner at 5AM Ventures. From 2000 to 2018, Dr. Ehrich was at Alkermes. Over this span of 18 years, he rose through the ranks to lead all research and development activities at Alkermes. As Executive Vice President of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ehrich initiated a transformation of Alkermes’ R&D focus from medicines based on drug delivery technology to a diverse portfolio of novel, proprietary small molecule therapeutics. In doing so, he led the discovery, development, and, ultimately, the FDA registration of a series of medicines for multiple therapeutic indications, including schizophrenia, alcohol and opioid dependence, and multiple sclerosis. Prior, Dr. Ehrich spent 7 years at Merck Research Labs working in clinical pharmacology and clinical development. Dr. Ehrich received a B.A. at Princeton University and an M.D. from Columbia University.
About Evecxia Therapeutics
Evecxia’s mission is to help patients suffering from disabling neuropsychiatric conditions for which current therapies are inadequate. Evecxia is the first company dedicated to realizing the therapeutic potential of amplifying serotonin synthesis to treat brain disorders. Serotonin synthesis amplification builds a stronger, more dynamic, more resilient brain endogenous serotonin system. Serotonin synthesis amplification is a distinct pharmacology from targeting serotonin transporters (e.g., serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and receptors (e.g., psilocybin). Evecxia deploys 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), the natural serotonin precursor, delivered via proprietary drug delivery technologies, to achieve sustained brain serotonin synthesis amplification. Evecxia has two Phase 2 clinical-stage drug candidates in development. EVX-101 is being developed as an adjunctive treatment for depression when first-line serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI/SNRI) antidepressants alone are inadequate. EVX-301 is being developed as a rescue therapy for patients hospitalized for acute suicidal crisis.
For additional information about Evecxia, please visit www.evecxia.com.
