World Renowned Experts Join Variant Pharmaceuticals' Scientific Advisory Board

WESTON, Fla., Nov. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Variant Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company developing first-in-class drugs for patients with rare diseases, announced today formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), comprised of global thought leaders in the areas of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), Alport Syndrome, orphan and general drug development. The SAB will work closely with Variant's Management Team to provide scientific and strategic insights to accelerate development of Hydroxypropyl Beta Cyclodextrin (HPβCD) for two leading indications: VAR 200 for FSGS and VAR 300 for Alport Syndrome.

"We are honored to have attracted some of the most distinguished experts in nephrology and orphan/general drug development to support our efforts to develop VAR 200 and VAR 300," commented Stephen Glover, Founder and CEO of Variant.  "We believe that these products, if successfully developed and commercialized, will fulfill a tremendous unmet need for disease-specific treatment of FSGS and Alport Syndrome."

Variant SAB members are listed below, and their biographies can be found here. 

Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD
Katz Family Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Director, Peggy and Harold Katz Family Drug Discovery Center
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Steven R. Gerst, MD, MBA, MPH, CHE
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, MZI Healthcare
Vice President of Medical Affairs, MedCurrent Corporation
Health Informatics Board Member
Professor, Bryan University

Pablo A. Guzman, MD, FACC
SAB Chair
Acting Chief Medical Officer
Variant Pharmaceuticals

Marlene Haffner, MD, MPH
Principal and founder at Orphan solutions and Haffner Associates, LLC
Former Director of the Office of Orphan Products Development of the FDA

Jonathan J. Hogan, MD
Clinical Director, Penn Glomerular Disease Center
Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Ronald J. Hogg, MD
Retired Pediatric Nephrologist
Former Chief, Division of Pediatric Nephrology Baylor Scott & White Health
Professor of Pediatrics, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

About Variant

Variant Pharmaceuticals, an emerging pharmaceutical company focusing on restoring health and transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovation, was established in 2014, with the mission to become a leading specialty pharmaceutical company.  Our evolving product pipeline is targeted to the $100+ billion orphan drug market. Our lead orphan drug candidate is hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin (HPβCD) for chronic treatment of two orphan indications, VAR 200: Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and VAR 300: Alport Syndrome (AS), rare progressive forms of kidney disease.   

For further information, please contact:

Stephen C. Glover
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]
954.529.2109

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SOURCE Variant Pharmaceuticals, Inc.