Appointments reflect transition to publicly-listed company status
CHICAGO, July 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:XERS), a specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging its novel technology platforms to develop and commercialize ready-to-use injectable and infusible drug formulations, announced today the appointment of four new independent members to its Board of Directors in conjunction with its recent IPO. In addition, the Company announced the recent addition of a new executive to its management team.
Joining the Board of Directors are B.J. Bormann, Ph.D., Dawn Halkuff, Marla S. Persky and Jeffrey W. Sherman, M.D., FACP. In addition, Allison Wey joins Xeris’s leadership team as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. The Company also announced the prior resignations of two Board members who originally joined the Board as members of Xeris’s earlier venture funding rounds: Robert C. Faulkner, Managing Director at Redmile Group, and Cary McNair, Founder of Palmetto Partners.
“We are excited to announce the addition of these accomplished pharmaceutical industry leaders to Xeris,” said Paul R. Edick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xeris. “Their guidance and expertise will be instrumental as we continue development of our glucagon rescue pen and new product pipeline and begin to commercialize our ready-to-use injectable and infusible drug formulations.”
Mr. Edick added, “On behalf of Xeris's Board of Directors and management team, I would like to thank Rob and Cary for their outstanding leadership and for the role they played in helping Xeris transition to an innovative public company.”
Biographies of the new Xeris Pharmaceuticals board members and senior executive are included below:
Dr. Bormann has nearly 30 years of experience in academic and pharmaceutical science and biotech and pharmaceutical business development. Her current role is serving as the Vice President of Translational Science and Network Alliances for The Jackson Laboratory. Dr. Bormann’s previous work in the biotechnology industry included serving as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pivot Pharmaceuticals (OTC:PVOTF), Supportive Therapeutics, LLC., and Harbour Antibodies, as well as the Chief Business Advisor for NanoMedical Systems, Inc. In addition, Dr. Bormann was Senior Vice President responsible for worldwide alliances, licensing and business development at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2007 to 2013. From 1996 to 2007, she served in a number of positions at Pfizer Inc., the last one being Vice President of Pfizer Global Research and Development and the world-wide Head of Strategic Alliances. Dr. Bormann received her Ph.D. in biomedical science from the University of Connecticut Health Center and her B.Sc. in biology from Fairfield University.
Ms. Halkuff has over 20 years of commercial and marketing experience and has held numerous senior level positions. Ms. Halkuff currently is Chief Commercial Officer at TherapeuticsMD, an innovative women’s healthcare company. She also serves on the Board of Directors of The Society of Women’s Health Research. She was previously at Pfizer Inc., where she held various leadership roles since 2010. Ms. Halkuff was Senior Vice President of the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Wellness Organization and a member of the Consumer Global Leadership Team. Prior to that, Ms. Halkuff was commercial lead for sales and marketing of the Pfizer Women’s Health Division. From 2005 to 2010, Ms. Halkuff was Head of Global Innovation at Weight Watchers International. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University.
Ms. Persky is currently CEO and President of WOMN LLC, a company dedicated to helping women succeed in the business of law. She was formerly the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boehringer Ingelheim USA, where she was also a member of Boehringer Ingelheim’s executive management team and a director of the company and several of its subsidiaries. Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Ms. Persky spent 19 years at Baxter International Inc. where she held numerous business and legal positions, the most recent of which was Acting General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Ms. Persky is on the Board of Directors of several corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Persky is a graduate of Washington University School of Law and Northwestern University.
Dr. Sherman is the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Horizon Pharma plc. Dr. Sherman has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry at IDM Pharma, Takeda Global Research and Development, NeoPharm, Searle/Pharmacia and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a member of a number of professional societies as well as a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Strongbridge Biopharma. Dr. Sherman is a Past President of the Drug Information Association and a former member of its Board of Directors. He earned his M.D. from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/The Chicago Medical School and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lake Forest College.
Ms. Wey brings over 30 years of experience in investor relations, corporate communications, media relations and investment banking to Xeris. Prior to joining Xeris, Ms. Wey served as Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Regulus Therapeutics, Durata Therapeutics and Par Pharmaceuticals. Prior to these positions, Ms. Wey was VP, Investor Relations at Boron, LePore & Associates, Senior VP at Edelman Financial Worldwide, Managing Director, Financial Communications at Hill & Knowlton, and Associate Director, Equity Capital Markets at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Ms. Wey is a graduate of Drake University.
About Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Xeris is a specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging its novel technology platforms to develop and commercialize ready-to-use, room-temperature stable injectable and infusible drug formulations. The Company’s proprietary XeriSol™ and XeriJect™ formulation technologies are being evaluated for the subcutaneous (SC) and intramuscular (IM) delivery of highly-concentrated, non-aqueous, ready-to-use formulations of peptides, proteins, antibodies, and small molecules using commercially available syringes, auto-injectors, multi-dose pens, and infusion pumps. Xeris' platforms have the potential to offer distinct advantages over existing formulations of marketed and development-stage products. In particular, XeriSol™ and XeriJect™ have the potential to eliminate the need for reconstitution, enable long-term, room-temperature stability, significantly reduce injection volume, and eliminate the requirement for intravenous (IV) infusion. These attributes may lead to products that are easier to use by patients, caregivers, and health practitioners and reduce costs for payers and the healthcare system. Further information about Xeris can be found at www.xerispharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., including statements concerning the therapeutic potential of our product candidates and the potential utility of our formulation platform technologies and other statements containing the words "will," "would," "continue," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, the regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to market and sell our products, if approved, and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the final prospectus related to Xeris’s initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Xeris’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Xeris expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Xeris Investor Contact
Allison Wey
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
awey@xerispharma.com
312-736-1237
Xeris Media Contact
media@xerispharma.com
www.xerispharma.com
Source: Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.