Iqbal Husain, Ph.D., Appointed Vice President of Program and Portfolio Management
Dauphine S. Barone Promoted to Vice President of Manufacturing Logistics
Barbara A. Schaeffler, MBA, Promoted to Vice President of Clinical Operations
BOTHELL, Wash., May 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALDR ), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics, today announced the expansion of its leadership team to support the advancement of ALD403 for migraine prevention. Iqbal Husain, Ph.D., was appointed vice president of program and portfolio management, Dauphine Barone was promoted to vice president of manufacturing logistics, and Barbara Schaeffler, MBA, was promoted to vice president of clinical operations.
“We are delighted to welcome Iqbal with his wealth of Phase 3 and commercial development program management experience to Alder, and to announce the promotions of Barbara and Dauphine, recognizing the deep experience already existing within the company, to expand our leadership team and to continue advancing the ALD403 program for migraine prevention,” said Randall C. Schatzman, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer. “This growing team will drive the ALD403 development strategy as we move towards achieving key milestones during the remainder of 2016 and 2017. These include the announcement of 24-week data from our Phase 2b study in chronic migraine in the third quarter, the initiation of additional trials later in the year and the execution of manufacturing and commercialization preparedness activities to lay a strong foundation for a biologic license application submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”
Dr. Husain brings over 20 years of experience in global biopharmaceutical product development and program management and is responsible for aligning and integrating cross functional activities to better ensure the success of Alder’s product candidates. Prior to joining Alder, he served as vice president of project management of CTI BioPharma, where he led program management of all oncology development and commercial programs. From 1995 to 2013, he served in various leadership positions at Amgen including executive director of program management and strategic operations, associate director of Japan Representative Office, and international product development manager, Asia Pacific Latin America. Prior to that, Dr. Husain was the director of research and development at Lectin Biopharma and a development manager at PDx Technologies. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry and B.Sc. in physiology and biochemistry from the University of Leeds, U.K.
Ms. Barone has more than 30 years of life sciences research and development experience and is responsible for leading manufacturing supply and logistics for Alder products, including planning and supervision of contract manufacturing. She joined Alder in 2007 as director, program management, and was promoted to senior director, manufacturing logistics, in 2013 with responsibility for contract manufacturing organization (CMO) business relationship management for the entire Alder portfolio of product candidates. From 2003 to 2007, Ms. Barone served first as staff scientist and then as project manager at Trubion Pharmaceuticals leading cross-functional teams tasked with developing drug candidates. From 1989 to 2003, she served as a research scientist, holding positions of increasing responsibility at Amgen/Immunex. Ms. Barone holds a B.S. in biology from the University of California, Riverside.
Ms. Schaeffler has more than 20 years of experience in clinical development and operations and is responsible for clinical operations in the development of ALD403. She joined Alder in 2012 as senior director, clinical operations, and has been responsible for all the operational aspects of clinical trials conducted by the company. Prior to Alder, she served as a senior clinical consultant for Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in oncology. From 2004 to 2010, Ms. Schaeffler held positions of increasing responsibility for clinical operations at Poniard Pharmaceutical, and from 1996-2004 held positions of increasing responsibility in clinical development at Chiron Corporation (formerly PathoGenesis). Ms. Schaeffler holds an MBA from City University of Seattle and a B.A. in bacteriology from the University of California, Davis.
About Alder BioPharmaceuticals Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and seeks to commercialize therapeutic antibodies with the potential to meaningfully transform current treatment paradigms. ALD403, Alder's lead pivotal-stage product candidate being evaluated for migraine prevention, is a genetically engineered monoclonal antibody that inhibits calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP is a small protein with a well-established role in the initiation, transmission and heightened sensitivity to migraine pain. Alder's second program, ALD1613, targets adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and is intended for the treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia and Cushing's disease. ALD1613 is undergoing Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling preclinical studies, and an IND submission is planned for 2016. Additionally, clazakizumab, a monoclonal antibody therapeutic candidate discovered by Alder designed to block interleukin-6, is licensed to Vitaeris Inc. For more information, please visit http://www.alderbio.com .
Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements relating to: the continued development and clinical, therapeutic and commercial potential of ALD403 and ALD1613; the potential success of Alder’s product candidates; the achievement of future milestones; future regulatory filings; the initiation of future clinical trials and studies; the availability of clinical trial data; and the expansion of Alder’s leadership team. Words such as “continues,” “support,” “advance,” “will,” “towards,” “milestones,” “announcement,” “initiation,” “execution,” “submission,” “success,” “potential,” “planned,” or other similar expressions, identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon Alder's current plans, assumptions, beliefs, expectations, estimates and projections, and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements due to these risks and uncertainties as well as other factors, which include, without limitation: risks related to the potential failure of ALD403 and ALD1613 to demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical testing; the availability of data at the expected times; the clinical, therapeutic and commercial value of ALD403 and ALD1613; risks and uncertainties related to regulatory review and approval processes and Alder's compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements; the uncertain timing and level of expenses associated with the development of ALD403, and ALD1613; the sufficiency of Alder's capital and other resources; market competition; changes in economic and business conditions; and other factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Alder's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2016, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 28, 2016, and is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . Additional information will also be set forth in Alder's other reports and filings it will make with the SEC from time to time. The forward-looking statements made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Alder expressly disclaims any duty, obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Alder's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
Media Contacts: David Schull or Lena Evans Russo Partners, LLC (212) 845-4271 (212) 845-4262 david.schull@russopartnersllc.com lena.evans@russopartnersllc.com Investor Relations Contact: David Walsey Alder Biopharmaceuticals (425) 408-8032 ir@alderbio.com
