PharmAust appoints experienced US-based pharma executive to board of directors
Clinical-stage biotechnology company PharmAust (ASX: PAA) has appointed US-based Dr Katie MacFarlane as a non-executive director to the board.
Dr MacFarlane has over 30 years’ experience in the development and commercialisation of pharmaceutical products and devices.
The company sees her appointment as a further step toward it becoming a global leader in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Diverse CV
Dr MacFarlane is the founder and president of consulting firm SmartPharma, which specialises in product assessments, market sizing and forecasting and pre-launch preparations of pharmaceutical products.
She is also the current head of commercial business for start-up company Arkayli Biopharma, which is developing a treatment for paediatric vascular anomaly infantile hemangioma.
Former roles have included chief commercial officer at Agile Therapeutics, vice president of marketing at Warner Chilcott and senior director of marketing at Parke-Davis (now Pfizer).
Dr MacFarlane is on the board of directors for Mayne Pharmaceuticals, an affiliate faculty member of the school of pharmacy at Purdue University and a founding member and advisor to the Industry Pharmacists Organisation.
She has previously served on boards for RespireRx Pharmaceuticals and the now-defunct non-profit international humanitarian development organisation INMED Partnerships for Children.
Crucial juncture
Dr MacFarlane joins PharmAust at a pivotal time in the company’s evolution.
Latest results from a Phase 1 study using lead candidate monepantel on motor neurone disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis indicate the drug could provide a “statistically significant” survival benefit for patients.
It could also reduce the risk of death by 91% when compared to untreated matched controls from the existing pooled resource database.
The study showed that monepantel could pave the way for PharmAust to bring a much-needed new treatment to market.
Impressive network
PharmAust non-executive chair Sergio Duchini welcomed Dr MacFarlane to the company.
“Katie’s wealth of experience in developing and commercialising pharmaceutical products will be valuable to establishing PharmAust as a global leader in neurodegenerative diseases,” he said.
“Katie has built an impressive and extensive network of pharmaceutical contacts over the years and we look forward to leveraging this network to lift our visibility in the US.”