BOSTON, Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stealth
BioTherapeutics Corp (Nasdaq: MITO), a clinical-stage biotechnology
company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization
of novel therapies for diseases involving mitochondrial
dysfunction, today announced the appointment of Eve E. Slater, M.D., F.A.C.C., to the Company's
Board of Directors. Dr. Slater is board certified in internal
medicine and cardiology and brings considerable experience from the
pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Slater has served as Senior Vice
President for Worldwide Policy, Pfizer, Inc., Assistant Secretary
for Health in the US Department of Human Services, and Senior Vice
President of Clinical and Regulatory Development, and SVP of
External Policy of Merck and Co.
"Eve has helped change the face of medicine and new drug
development in our country, from the bedside, where she still
dedicates time to regular patient care, to industry and national
public health policy leadership," said Reenie McCarthy, CEO of Stealth. "We are
thrilled to welcome Eve to our Board of Directors, where her
passion for patients, scientific curiosity and regulatory acumen
will help inform the development of elamipretide and our broader
platform of mitochondrial targeted therapeutics."
"Eve is a highly accomplished cardiovascular medical expert and
an experienced executive who successfully ushered a prodigious
development pipeline through worldwide approvals," said
Gerald Chan, Sc.D., Chairman of the
Board of Stealth. "Her medical, clinical development, regulatory,
and business experience augment the expertise of our Board. We are
extremely fortunate to attract a professional of Eve's caliber to
help guide the future growth of Stealth."
Dr. Slater was the Senior Vice President of Clinical and
Regulatory Development, and SVP of External Policy at Merck and
Co., where she worked for over 19 years. Many of Merck's drugs,
including statins, vaccines, and HIV/AIDS medicines received
worldwide regulatory approval during her tenure. She was a member
of the U.S. Keystone National Policy Dialogue on HIV, and the NIH
Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council. As Assistant Secretary
for Health, she was the first woman to hold this Senate-confirmed
position, with special contributions in women's health,
biosecurity, and electronic health record standards.
Dr. Slater is currently Professor of Clinical Medicine at
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she has
taught for over 35 years. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from
Vassar College and an Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of Columbia University's College of Physicians and
Surgeons. She completed her residency and cardiology
training at the Massachusetts General
Hospital where she was the first woman Chief Resident in Medicine,
and later led the Hypertension Unit, as Assistant Professor of
Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
"After collaborating with Stealth and its advisors on the
company's rare cardiomyopathy development efforts over the past
year, I am enthusiastic about the potential of mitochondrial
targeted therapeutics to treat both rare metabolic cardiomyopathies
and the broader range of debilitating diseases involving
mitochondrial dysfunction," said Dr. Slater. "I am delighted to
join the Board and look forward to working with Stealth's
leadership team to deliver on the company's mission to improve the
lives of patients living with serious diseases of mitochondrial
dysfunction."
About Stealth
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the
discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for
diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria, found
in nearly every cell in the body, are the body's main source of
energy production and are critical for normal organ function.
Dysfunctional mitochondria characterize a number of rare genetic
diseases and are involved in many common age-related diseases,
typically involving organ systems with high energy demands such as
the heart, the eye, and the brain. We believe our lead product
candidate, elamipretide, has the potential to treat both rare
metabolic cardiomyopathies, such as Barth, Duchenne and Becker
muscular dystrophies and Friedreich's ataxia, rare mitochondrial
diseases entailing nuclear DNA mutations, such as POLG-related
disorders, as well as ophthalmic diseases entailing mitochondrial
dysfunction, such as dry age-related macular degeneration and
Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. We are evaluating our
second-generation clinical stage candidate, SBT-272, for rare
neurodegenerative disease indications following promising
preclinical data in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. We have
optimized our discovery platform to identify novel
mitochondria-targeted compounds, including SBT-259, the SBT-550
series of compounds, and other compounds which may be nominated as
therapeutic product candidates or utilized as scaffolds to deliver
other compounds to mitochondria.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Such forward-looking include statements about the
anticipated completion of the registered direct offering.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements
about Stealth BioTherapeutics' beliefs, plans and
expectations, are forward-looking statements. The words
"anticipate," "expect," "hope," "plan," "potential," "possible,"
"will," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "may," "predict,"
"project," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these identifying words. Stealth BioTherapeutics
may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations
disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual
results or events could differ materially from the plans,
intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking
statements as a result of known and unknown risks, uncertainties
and other important factors, including: Stealth BioTherapeutics'
ability to obtain additional funding and to continue as a going
concern; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the ability to
successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of Stealth
BioTherapeutics' product candidates and future product
candidates; the preclinical and clinical results for Stealth
BioTherapeutics' product candidates, which may not support
further development and marketing approval; the potential
advantages of Stealth BioTherapeutics' product
candidates; the content and timing of decisions made by
the U.S. FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities,
investigational review boards at clinical trial sites and
publication review bodies, which may affect the initiation, timing
and progress of preclinical studies and clinical trials
of Stealth BioTherapeutics product
candidates; Stealth BioTherapeutics' ability to obtain
and maintain requisite regulatory approvals and to enroll patients
in its planned clinical trials; unplanned cash requirements and
expenditures; competitive factors; Stealth
BioTherapeutics' ability to obtain, maintain and enforce
patent and other intellectual property protection for any product
candidates it is developing; and general economic and market
conditions. These and other risks are described in greater detail
under the caption "Risk Factors" included in the Stealth
BioTherapeutics' most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed
with the SEC, as well as in any future filings with
the SEC. Forward-looking statements represent management's
current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Except as
required by law, Stealth BioTherapeutics does not
undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made
by us to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Investor Relations
Stern Investor Relations
Janhavi Mohite, 212-362-1200
IR@StealthBT.com
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SOURCE Stealth BioTherapeutics Inc.