SAN DIEGO, June 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Arena
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARNA) today announced changes to its
research and development leadership team. Effective June 9, 2020, Dr. Preston
Klassen will be leaving the Company to pursue an opportunity
as Chief Executive Officer of a San
Diego-based private company, and Dr. Chris Cabell, Arena's Senior Vice President and
Chief Medical Officer, will assume the role of Executive Vice
President, Head of Research and Development, and Chief Medical
Officer.
"Chris has been leading the execution of our clinical
development and operations for the last few years, and we are
confident that his extensive experience and stellar judgement will
continue to serve the Company well," said Amit D. Munshi, Arena's President and Chief
Executive Officer. "We look forward to Chris' continued guidance
and his broader leadership role within the excellent organization
that he and Preston have established together."
Mr. Munshi added, "On behalf of myself, Arena's Board,
leadership, and our entire team, we would like to express our
sincere gratitude to Preston for his instrumental contributions.
During Preston's tenure he has played a critical role in the
Company's success including the development of our R&D
strategy, portfolio prioritization and expansion, and in maturing
the organization. We thank Preston for his dedication and wish him
the best of luck in his future endeavors."
Dr. Klassen is resigning after more than three years of service
at Arena, and he will continue to serve as an advisor to the
Company during a transition period following his resignation.
Chris Cabell, M.D., M.H.S., FACC,
has served as Arena's Senior Vice President and Chief Medical
Officer since August 2019. From
October 2017 to July 2019, he served as Senior Vice President and
Head of Clinical Development. Over the past nearly 3 years, Dr.
Cabell has been a member of the Arena senior leadership team and
has been instrumental in helping to develop and shape the R&D
organization which has seen a significant growth and maturity, from
less than 40 team members to an organization of more than 225
experienced professionals. In addition, Dr. Cabell, as Chief
Medical Officer, has been accountable for all Arena regulatory
interactions and commitments over the past year. Prior to joining
Arena, Dr. Cabell spent 10 years at IQVIA (formerly Quintiles, Inc.
and QuintilesIMS) in a variety of executive positions including
Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, and Global Head of Medical
and Project Management, managing an international organization of
over 1600 staff. Prior to joining IQVIA, Dr. Cabell was on faculty
at Duke University, where he led
efforts on multiple important collaborative consortia including the
Cardiac Safety Research Consortium, a public/private partnership
between academic medical centers, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), and Industry. He is a Fellow of the American College of
Cardiology with over 100 peer reviewed publications including in
the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Annals of Internal
Medicine. Board certified in both internal medicine and
cardiovascular diseases, Dr. Cabell is an honors graduate of the
Pennsylvania State University and
earned his Doctor of Medicine and Masters in Health Science degrees
from Duke University.
About Arena Pharmaceuticals
ARENA
Pharmaceuticals is a team with a singular purpose – deliver
our important medicines to patients.
In a rapidly changing global market, we work with a sense of
urgency every day to understand the needs of all our stakeholders,
identify bold, sometimes disruptive, ideas to get our medicines to
patients, and relentlessly execute until it's done.
ARENA - Care More. Act Differently.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this
press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements
include, without limitation, statements about Dr. Klassen's
expected service as an advisor to Arena, Dr. Cabell's expected
contributions, Arena's position, drive, portfolio, prioritization,
financial position, team, and building of the company. For such
statements, Arena claims the protection of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual events or results may differ
materially from Arena's expectations. Factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements include those disclosed in Arena's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking
statements represent Arena's judgment as of the time of this
release. Arena disclaims any intent or obligation to update these
forward-looking statements, other than as may be required under
applicable law.
Corporate
Contact:
Megan
E. Knight
Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Director, Investor Relations
mknight@arenapharm.com
858.210.3635
Arena Media Contact:
IR@arenapharm.com
858.453.7200
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SOURCE Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.