Parion Sciences Announces Senior Leadership and Organizational Changes

DURHAM, N.C., June 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Parion Sciences, a company dedicated to the development of novel treatments for pulmonary and ocular diseases, today announced senior leadership and organizational changes.  The changes include the following:

• Paul Boucher has been promoted to President and will lead the executive management team, business development and provide overall corporate direction.  Paul previously served as Vice-President of Finance & Business at Parion.
• Joe Schachle has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and will be responsible for corporate strategy, commercial operations, and corporate operations.  Joe joined Parion from Grifols where he served as Head of Global Marketing Operations.
• Anita Woodring has been appointed as Senior Director of Clinical & Regulatory Operations.  Anita is joining Parion from Research Triangle Institute (RTI) where she served as Regulatory Project Leader.

These changes are intended to support the growth plans for the organization based on the initiation of trials across 3 clinical programs and increased efforts in early stage research projects.  As announced earlier, Parion reacquired rights to P-1037 and plans to initiate a phase 2 study for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis in the second half of 2014.  Also announced previously, Parion plans to initiate a phase 1/2a study of dry eye disease in mid-2014.  Parion plans to initiate a phase 1/2a study with the proprietary trans-nasal pulmonary aerosol delivery ("tPAD") platform for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis.  "We are at an important inflection point in our company's history as we progress our programs in the clinic," said Dr. Ross Johnson, Parion's Board Co-Chairman and Founder.  "We are pleased to recognize Paul's leadership at Parion and to have him lead the company into our next phase of growth.  We are also pleased to have Joe and Anita join our team to provide additional corporate, commercial, and R&D experience."

About Parion Sciences

Parion Sciences is a development-stage company dedicated to research, development, and commercialization of treatments to restore patient's innate mucosal surface defenses. Parion's science driven technologies target ocular and respiratory diseases in which the patient's ability to protect their mucosal surfaces is compromised.

Parion Sciences was founded based on proprietary ENaC inhibitor technology from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. Today, while Parion remains at the forefront of ENaC research, the company is leveraging its research and development expertise in epithelial biology to expand into new indications and platforms that further treat additional mucosal defects.  Parion is currently advancing several programs through clinical development including unique ENaC inhibitors, P-1037 for pulmonary diseases and P-321 for treatment of dry eye disease.

About ENaC Inhibitors and P-1037

Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) inhibitors are designed to block the sodium channels on the airway surfaces. In pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis, where there is a build-up of excessively concentrated mucus, preclinical models have demonstrated that blocking the ENaC channel promotes fluid secretion and re-hydrates the mucus layers. Hydration of mucosal surfaces restores airway clearance, reducing infection and improving lung function. P-1037 is a novel, long acting ENaC Inhibitor that demonstrated a superior safety profile versus other known ENaC inhibitors in both the pre-clinical studies and the Phase 1 studies.

About ENaC and P-321

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a key role in the regulation of tear film fluid and is therefore an attractive target for the treatment of dry eye. Studies with preclinical models of dry eye disease have demonstrated that by blocking ENaC, the tear film volume is restored, maintaining its protective and lubricating actions on the ocular surface.

P-321 is the result of a comprehensive research effort to develop a potent ENaC inhibitor with unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics characteristics designed for topical ocular administration, metabolic stability and limited systemic exposure. Parion Sciences has completed all the preclinical safety and mechanistic studies required to initiate clinical studies in humans. 

About tPAD

The tPAD platform is designed to administer aerosolized medicines overnight, shifting the patient's treatment burden away from day time hours to periods during sleep.   Its aerosol characteristics have been optimized to efficiently deliver medication through a nasal cannula, bypassing the nasal passages and depositing a high percentage into the lungs under natural breathing. 

SOURCE Parion Sciences