CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of James Frates as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective Jan. 25, 2021. Mr. Frates joins Amylyx following his tenure as CFO at Alkermes, since 1998.

“We are so excited for Jim to join us at this critical juncture for Amylyx,” said Joshua Cohen, Co-CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder of Amylyx. “Jim’s depth and breadth of experience as a biopharmaceutical executive coupled with his financial acumen and personal mission for bringing promising treatments to patients with ALS make him a fantastic addition to our leadership team.”

“Jim brings the unique combination of experience with growing biopharma companies focused on the central nervous system, both as a CFO and a board member, and passion for the people we serve,” said Justin Klee, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Amylyx. “Jim clearly embodies our values and we are thrilled to have him join our mission.”

Frates is an experienced leader who served as Alkermes CFO through its growth from a clinical stage company to an international commercial and development enterprise with multiple products, over $1 billion in revenue and over 2000 employees. Frates helped manage the company through numerous acquisitions and financings in the debt, equity and private markets. Prior to Alkermes, Frates worked as an investment banker at Robertson, Stephens & Company and Morgan Stanley. Frates currently serves on the Board of Sage Therapeutics, Inc., The Roxbury Latin School and St. Francis House in Boston. He is a graduate of Harvard College and earned an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

“Since my cousin Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, and through his extraordinary work with the Ice Bucket Challenge, I have felt a calling to become more involved in the fight to find more effective treatments. I am eager to join Amylyx because it has made so much progress against neurodegenerative diseases,” said Frates. “I believe my experience can help the company scale and deliver on its promise of creating a medicine that can help delay neurodegeneration in patients. The opportunity to help fight ALS means a great deal to me and my family.”

About Amylyx Pharmaceuticals

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company working on developing a novel therapeutic for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. For more information, visit www.amylyx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.