US-based Avalyn Pharma has announced the appointment of former Aerami Therapeutics Chief Development Officer Melissa Rhodes as Chief Operating Officer, a newly created position. Avalyn, which is developing AP01 inhaled pirfenidone and AP02 inhaled nintedanib for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, recently announced the appointment of Howard Lazarus as Chief Medical Officer. Like Lazarus, Rhodes previously held an executive role at Altavant Sciences. She was most recently President and Chief Development Officer of Metabolic Diseases and Neurology at Kriya Therapeutics.
Avalyn CEO Lyn Baranowski commented, “Melissa’s passion and knowledge of inhalation drug delivery, her experience building pipelines and advancing drug candidates, and her appreciation for the patient experience make her an excellent fit for our growing team. As we look ahead to the design and execution of late-stage clinical programs for AP01 and AP02, our inhaled pulmonary fibrosis candidates, I am confident that we have the expertise necessary to complete our goals.”
Rhodes said, “I share Avalyn’s desire to provide an effective inhaled delivery option to patients with interstitial lung diseases. I look forward to working with Lyn and the team to advance AP01 and AP02 to the next stage of clinical development and to support Avalyn’s long-term business objectives of building out a pipeline of inhaled respiratory medicines for people with serious, life-threatening lung diseases.”
Read the Avalyn Pharma press release.
