BOSTON, Oct. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AZTherapies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in advanced clinical trials to treat neuroinflammatory diseases, today announced the appointment of Marc de Garidel to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Mr. de Garidel has also joined the company’s Board of Directors. He succeeds company Founder and former CEO David R. Elmaleh, Ph.D., who is remaining as Executive Chairman of the AZTherapies Board of Directors and Chief Scientific Officer.

“I cannot think of a better leader to bring AZTherapies into its next evolutionary phase as we look ahead to the conclusion of our Phase 3 COGNITE trial in early Alzheimer’s disease, ramp up our ALZT-OP1 pre-commercial activities, and continue to advance our pipeline,” said Dr. Elmaleh. “Marc’s breadth of experience and successes across all aspects of global drug and corporate development give him a unique perspective that I believe will enable him to add significant value to the company. I look forward to working together to expand the outreach of our novel CNS platforms.”

Mr. de Garidel commented on his appointment: “This is an exciting time for AZTherapies – a company that would not be where it is today without the brilliance and leadership of David Elmaleh. Targeting neuroinflammation using multi-modal and mechanism-agnostic approaches is truly cutting-edge and the company is the first to advance candidates into late-stage clinical development employing this strategy. David and his team have been able to accomplish a great deal in a short period of time targeting difficult-to-treat diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. I am honored to take on this leadership role, continuing the company’s rapid pace of progress for the benefit of patients in need.”

Prior to joining AZTherapies, Mr. de Garidel served as CEO of Corvidia Therapeutics, a private Boston-based cardiorenal-focused clinical-stage company that was acquired by Novo Nordisk in July 2020 for $2.1 billion. From 2010 to 2016, he served as Chairman and CEO of Ipsen SA, where he led a significant transformation of Ipsen, effecting a three-fold increase in market capitalization, launching the blockbuster oncology drug Somatuline Depot (lanreotide) in the U.S., and completing the ex-U.S. commercialization deal with Exelixis on CABOMETYX (cabozantinib). Mr. de Garidel continues to serve as non-executive Chairman of the Ipsen Board of Directors. Prior to that, Mr. de Garidel spent 15 years at Amgen, initially joining as the company’s Chief Financial Officer in Europe and ultimately leading the South Region of Amgen International, responsible for operations across most of Europe and Latin America. He began his career at Eli Lilly and Company, where he worked in the U.S., France, and Germany in a variety of roles in sales, marketing, finance, and human resources. Mr. de Garidel received a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from ETP in Paris, a Master’s degree in Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and completed the Advanced Management Program (Executive MBA) at Harvard Business School.

About AZTherapies
AZTherapies is an advanced clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecules and biologic therapies that aim to fundamentally change neurodegenerative disease progression, extending normal cognition and function and improving quality of life in the aging population. Our lead candidate, ALZT-OP1, is built on a multi-modal approach that recognizes neuroinflammation as a root cause of serious neurodegeneration and seeks to stop or slow the progression of disease; the ALZT-OP1 Phase 3 COGNITE trial in early Alzheimer’s disease is fully enrolled, with trial completion expected in late 2020 and results in the first quarter of 2021. Following our lead program, we are advancing candidates for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), post-ischemic stroke cognitive impairment, and are pursuing an innovative CAR-Treg program that could have broad application across a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. AZTherapies is a private company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. To learn more, please visit www.aztherapies.com.