Impel NeuroPharma Announces Leadership Transition, Chairman Adrian Adams' Role Expanded To Chairman And CEO

SEATTLE, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Impel NeuroPharma, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of transformative therapies for patients living with central nervous system (CNS) disorders with high unmet medical needs, today announced an expanded role of Adrian Adams, who served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since January 2020, to include both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. The Company also announced that Jon Congleton is stepping down as President and CEO, and expressed its appreciation for his significant contributions towards positioning the Company for ongoing success and growth.

"Impel's product pipeline and novel technology platform has the ability to positively impact the lives of patients living with serious CNS disorders. I look forward to working with the talented team to advance our late-stage programs and to deliver the full potential of our novel, differentiated investigative therapeutic products," said Adams. "This is a pivotal time for the Company with a number of significant upcoming milestones, including Phase 3 data, a planned New Drug Application (NDA) filing, and pre-launch commercialization planning for our lead candidate, INP-104, for acute migraine."

Adams is a highly experienced life sciences executive who has served as the CEO of multiple public companies over the past seventeen years and also brings a wealth of board governance expertise, having served as a non-executive Director and Chairman for several public and private companies.

Prior to serving as Chairman of the Board, Adams held the position of CEO of Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc. and served in this role with the company's predecessor, POZEN Inc. Prior to joining Aralez, Adams served as CEO and President of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from December 2011 until its acquisition by Endo International plc in January 2015 for $2.6 billion. Prior to joining Auxilium, Adams served as Chairman and CEO of Neurologix and President and CEO of Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and led the company through a strategic acquisition by global pharmaceutical leader Merck & Co., Inc. in May 2011 for $430 million. Prior to Inspire, Adams served as President and CEO of Sepracor Inc., a company focused on CNS and respiratory diseases, where under his leadership, Sepracor conducted multiple strategic corporate development activities, including the in-licensing of seven products and out-licensing deals with two major pharmaceutical companies, prior to its acquisition by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co in October 2009.

Prior to joining Sepracor, Adams was President and CEO of Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2002 until the acquisition of the company by Abbott Laboratories in December 2006 for $3.7 billion. During his tenure he led the transformation of Kos into a fully integrated and profitable pharmaceutical company with annual revenues approaching $1 billion. During his 30 years of experience, he also held general management and senior marketing positions at ICI (now part of AstraZeneca), SmithKline Beecham and Novartis.

Adams graduated from the Royal Institute of Chemistry at Salford University in the U.K. and currently serves as Chairman for both AcelRx Pharmaceuticals and Akebia Therapeutics.

As part of its growth strategy, Impel continues to expand its leadership team with the recent appointments of John Leaman, MD, as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, and Sheena K. Aurora, MD, as Vice President of Medical Affairs – Migraine Franchise.

About Impel NeuroPharma

Impel NeuroPharma, Inc., is a privately held, Seattle-based biopharmaceutical company which,  based on the research of its founder, Chief Scientific Officer John Hoekman, is focused on developing transformative therapies for people living with central nervous system (CNS) disorders that unlock the full potential of therapeutic molecules for patients with high unmet medical needs. Impel NeuroPharma is currently investigating INP104 (POD-DHE) for acute migraine headache, INP107 (POD-carbidopa/levodopa) for reversal of OFF episodes in Parkinson's disease and INP105 (POD-olanzapine) for acute agitation in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder.

Impel's product candidates are delivered via its proprietary Precision Olfactory Delivery, or POD®, technology which targets the richly vascularized upper nasal cavity with the goal of achieving enhanced bioavailability of therapeutic molecules.

IMPEL, POD and the IMPEL Logo are trademarks of Impel NeuroPharma, Inc. To learn more about Impel NeuroPharma, please visit our website at http://impelnp.com.

About Precision Olfactory Delivery or POD® Devices

Impel NeuroPharma's proprietary POD® nasal drug delivery device is designed to deliver drugs to the richly vascularized upper nasal cavity to improve biodistribution and bioavailability of both small molecules and biologic drugs. By consistently and predictably delivering therapeutics to the upper nasal cavity, the POD device may improve overall bioavailability of drugs without IV injection. Impel has developed dry powder and liquid compatible POD devices to improve upon current treatment options for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Contact:

Melyssa Weible
Elixir Health Public Relations
Ph: (1) 201-723-5805
E: [email protected]

SOURCE Impel NeuroPharma

Related Links

http://impelnp.com