Accera Appoints C. Evan Ballantyne as Chief Financial Officer

BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Accera, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on product development for Alzheimer's disease, today announced the appointment of C. Evan Ballantyne as chief financial officer.

"Evan brings to Accera over 30 years of financial experience with a strong emphasis in healthcare and drug development in both public and private companies," said Dr. Charles Stacey, CEO of Accera. "His financial leadership and expertise will be critical as we continue to focus on the development of AC-1204, with data from our first Phase 3 study expected later this year, and prepare for the initiation of our second Phase 3 trial in 2017."

Mr. Ballantyne joins Accera from Agenus, Inc. where he has been the chief financial officer. Prior to Agenus, he was the chief financial officer of Synthetic Biologics, Inc. and before that, he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Clinical Data, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that was acquired by Forest Labs for $1.3 billion. Mr. Ballantyne has also held chief financial officer positions at medical technology companies Avedro, Inc. and Zymequest, Inc. Earlier in his career, he served as chief operating and chief financial officer at ACNielsen Corporation and held financial positions at IMS Health and Dun & Bradstreet. Mr. Ballantyne holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario and a post-graduate degree in business administration from the University of Windsor.

About the NOURISH AD Phase 3 Clinical Study

NOURISH AD is a 26-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study investigating the effects of daily administration of AC-1204 in subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, with an optional 26-week open-label extension. The primary and key secondary endpoints will examine the effects of AC-1204 on memory and cognition as measured by the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) and global function as measured by the Alzheimer's Disease Study Cooperative Study – Clinical Global Impression of Change (ADCS-CGIC) after 26 weeks among non-carriers of the epsilon 4 variant of the gene apolipoprotein E (APOE4). The study will also evaluate activities of daily living, resource utilization and quality of life among subjects with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

About Accera

Accera, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Boulder, Colo., that is developing therapies for central nervous system disorders. The company's proprietary scientific platform addresses unmet medical needs in brain health, including Alzheimer's disease. Accera is focused on the clinical development of drugs with innovative mechanisms of actions. The company's management team includes globally recognized specialists in central nervous system diseases and drug development, who together leverage the latest scientific knowledge and understanding of neurological disorders. Accera's lead product candidate is AC-1204, a ketosis-inducing compound in a Phase 3 clinical study in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For more information, visit www.accerapharma.com.

Follow Accera on Twitter at twitter.com/accerainc.

Accera Media Contacts:                                                  

Russo Partners LLC

Todd Davenport, Ph.D.
(212) 845-4235                                                        
[email protected]

David Schull                                                           
(212) 845-4271
(858) 717-2310 Mobile                                                                               
[email protected]                    

SOURCE Accera, Inc.