SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
Oct. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTGN) (VistaGen
or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative product
candidates for patients with diseases and disorders involving the
central nervous system (CNS), today announced that it has
appointed Mark A. McPartland as Vice
President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Mr.
McPartland will collaborate on the advancement of VistaGen's
corporate strategy and development, lead the execution of its
investor relations (IR) program, and serve as a company
spokesperson, reporting to Shawn Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive
Officer.
Mark McPartland joins VistaGen
with over 20 years of experience in corporate development, capital
markets, corporate communications, and executive management
consulting. Mr. McPartland's background includes guiding the
development and execution of corporate strategy for both private
and public companies at all stages of their commercial evolution,
including early- and mid-stage biopharmaceutical companies.
"We have recently taken several deliberate steps to prepare
VistaGen to achieve momentum- building milestones in the near term
and beyond. With our recent uplisting to NASDAQ, strengthening of
our clinical and regulatory teams, notable appointments to our
board of directors and key advisory boards, and the continued
advancement of our Phase 2 program for AV-101, our flagship CNS
product candidate for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive
disorder, we have come very far in a short period of time. We
have now reached an important inflection point for the Company, and
it is clear that we need to augment our team to increase our
efforts to expand awareness of VistaGen across a broad range of
stakeholders; investors, patients, researchers, clinicians and
potential partners. I am highly confident that Mark's
management and IR experience, successful track record working with
emerging healthcare companies, combined with his strong business
acumen, tireless work ethic and diverse capital markets expertise,
will be invaluable as we propel VistaGen through its next, dynamic
stage of growth," commented Mr. Singh.
"I am thrilled to be joining VistaGen at such an important and
exciting time for the Company. I believe AV-101 has the potential
to be a game-changing therapy for millions of individuals, not only
those who battle depression every day, but also those in several
other large CNS markets with high clinical need. I look
forward to working with the VistaGen team to execute on the many
strategic opportunities which could have a tremendous impact on
patients and unlock significant long-term value for our
shareholders," stated Mr. McPartland.
Prior to joining VistaGen, Mr. McPartland served as the Vice
President of Corporate Development and Communications at Stellar
Biotechnologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBOT), a leader in sustainable
manufacture of KLH, an immune-stimulating protein widely used in
the field of active immunotherapy. While at Stellar, Mr. McPartland
was responsible for transforming and expanding its capital markets
and corporate communications strategy, while also supporting its
global business development activities. Prior to Stellar, Mr.
McPartland served as Senior Vice President at MZ Group, a
subsidiary of @titude Global, the world's largest independent
global IR consulting firm. His prior experience includes Vice
President and Partner at Alliance Advisors, LLC where he
specialized in the implementation of capital markets strategy,
market positioning and financial communications, and Regional Vice
President of Hayden Communications, Inc. where he led investor
relations and corporate communications programs for micro and small
cap companies.
Mr. McPartland received his Bachelors in Business Administration
and Marketing from Coastal Carolina
University.
VistaGen recently provided a business outlook, including the
clinical status of AV-101 (L-4-chlorokyurenine or 4-CI-KYN) and an
overview of anticipated events and near-term corporate, business,
clinical and regulatory milestones expected through the first half
of 2017. AV-101 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2a
monotherapy study for the treatment of major depressive disorder
(MDD), a study being conducted and funded by the U.S.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the U.S.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Carlos Zarate, Chief, Section on the
Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders and Chief of
Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch at the NIMH,
is the Principal Investigator of the study. AV-101's mechanism of
action is fundamentally differentiated from all FDA-approved
antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics, with potential to
drive a paradigm shift towards new generation safer and
faster-acting antidepressants. VistaGen expects to report topline
data from its NIMH-sponsored Phase 2a study in the second quarter
of 2017. The Company is also preparing to advance AV-101 into a
Phase 2b study for adjunctive treatment of MDD in the first quarter
of 2017.
About VistaGen
VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. is a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing
and commercializing innovative product candidates for patients with
diseases and disorders involving the CNS. VistaGen's lead CNS
product candidate, AV-101, is a new generation, orally available
prodrug in Phase 2 development, initially for the adjunctive
treatment of MDD in patients with inadequate response to standard
antidepressants. AV-101 is currently being evaluated in an ongoing
Phase 2a clinical study being conducted by Principal Investigator,
Dr. Carlos Zarate, of the NIMH, and
fully funded by the NIMH. VistaGen is also preparing to initiate a
Phase 2b clinical study of AV-101 as an adjunctive treatment of MDD
in the first quarter of 2017.
For more information, please visit www.vistagen.com and connect
with VistaGen on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this
press release that are not historical facts may constitute
forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations
and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by such statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are
not limited to, risks related to VistaGen's successful Phase 2a and
Phase 2b clinical studies of AV-101 for adjunctive treatment of MDD
and other CNS diseases and disorders, protection of its
intellectual property, and the availability of substantial
additional capital to support its operations, including the
development activities described above. These and other risks and
uncertainties are identified and described in more detail in
VistaGen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC). These filings are available on the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov. VistaGen undertakes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking statements.
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SOURCE VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc.