– USA, NY – Remedy Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on the development and commercialization of CIRARA™, a breakthrough drug for treating acute central nervous system conditions, today announced the appointment of a new board member and two board advisors.
Joining as an independent board director is Kurt Landgraf, former head of DuPont Pharmaceuticals, part of DuPont (NYSE: DD) and past President and CEO of DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Merck (NYSE: MRK) in 1998. Landgraf also held the positions at DuPont of Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chairman of DuPont Europe. Landgraf is a member of the Board of Directors at the Corning (NYSE: GLW) and Louisiana Pacific corporations (NYSE: LPX).
“Remedy has developed a novel therapy that has the potential to save and improve lives,” notes Landgraf. “It’s truly exciting to be part of an organization that’s addressing a large unmet medical need.”
Remedy also announced two key board advisory appointments: Acting as special advisor to the Remedy board is Charles Mele, who currently serves as Special Counsel to WebMD Health Corp (NASDAQ: WBMD). Previously he served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of HLTH Corporation and the then corporate parent of WebMD. Mr. Mele has been associated in senior executive positions with several high growth health care companies in his 30-year career including Medco Containment Service, Medical Manager and Emdeon Corporation.
“I am eager to offer the experience I have gained by being deeply involved in some of the fastest growing and innovative, publicly traded healthcare businesses,” remarks Charles Mele, adding, “and look forward to working closely with David and Sven and the board as Remedy continues to grow and evolve.”
Mark McEwen also joins Remedy as a special advisor. For over 15 years, McEwen was a mainstay at CBS News (NYSE:CBS), serving in a variety of high profile positions, including anchor of CBS This Morning for three years. In 2005 McEwen suffered a massive stroke. His remarkable recovery is chronicled in his book, “After The Stroke: My Journey Back to Life. Mark will be the Stroke Education Ambassador for Remedy.
“I know first hand what it’s like to suffer a stroke,” states McEwen, “Stroke is not about a dry set of statistics; it’s about people, and families, and courage and dignity, and never giving up. Remedy understands that – which is why I’m so happy to be a part of their team.”
“Kurt’s over 45 years of commercial experience including 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry will be extremely valuable as Remedy draws closer to commercialization,” says David Geliebter, Remedy’s Executive Chairman. “Charles Mele’s unparalleled track record on legal and commercial matters will be extremely valuable as we shape this next phase of the company’s future. We’re thrilled to be able to work with him and with Mark McEwen, whose unique personal experience with stroke is a constant reminder of how important what we do is to the people most in need.”
On May 5, Remedy announced it had successfully ended enrollment in GAMES-RP, a Phase 2, double blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial of CIRARA in severe stroke patients. Results from the study are expected in September of this year.
GAMES-RP follows a highly-successful pilot trial completed in 2012 involving patients with severe stroke who would be expected, in over 80% of cases, to experience major brain swelling. In stark contrast, 90% of patients in the pilot study survived without severe disability, a reversal of the dire natural history of severe stroke. Follow up MRI images were notable for qualitative findings including absence of mass effect, and preservation of white matter.
ABOUT CIRARA
CIRARA is a patented, high affinity inhibitor of Sur1-Trpm4 channels suitable for intravenous delivery at the bedside or even in an ambulance. CIRARA uses our proprietary, patented MPD™ technology.
ABOUT REMEDY PHARMACEUTICALS
Remedy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately-held, clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on bringing life saving treatment to millions of people affected by acute central nervous system conditions — including stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, as well as other ischemic injuries and neurological disorders.
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