Discovery Laboratories, which recently released positive Phase 2a data for its Aerosurf aerosolized KL4 surfactant and advanced the product into Phase 2b, has announced the appointment of Craig Fraser as President and CEO. Fraser was most recently Chief Operating Officer of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals and previously held positions at Pfizer, Wyeth, and Johnson & Johnson. Previous President and CEO John G. Cooper is leaving “to pursue other interests,” the company said.
Discovery Labs Chairman of the Board John R. Leone commented, “Craig is a proven leader with deep commercial, operational, business and drug development experience. With strong leadership skills, success as a Chief Operating Officer for a publicly held biotechnology company and an impressive track record of driving performance, we believe that Craig is the right person to lead Discovery Labs and capitalize on the tremendous opportunity that exists with the company’s KL4 surfactant and aerosol delivery technologies to address a range of respiratory diseases beginning with Aerosurf for premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome.”
The company also said that enrollment in another Phase 2a clinical trial of Aerosurf for RDS in premature infants initiated in 2015 has been slower than anticipated and that it now expected top-line results to be available in the third quarter of 2016. A Phase 2b trial announced recently is beginning enrollment, and results are expected in the first quarter of 2017.
Read the Discovery Labs press release.
