Alzheon Appoints Dennis H. Langer, MD, JD, To Board Of Directors

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alzheon, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on brain health, memory and aging, announced today that Dennis H. Langer, MD, JD, has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Dr. Langer brings a unique blend of clinical expertise in neuroscience and deep experience in drug development, having served on Boards and in leadership roles in several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

“Dennis has tremendous insight into neurological disorders and how to develop transformative medicines for patients who suffer from them, and I am excited to have him join our Board of Directors”

“Dennis has tremendous insight into neurological disorders and how to develop transformative medicines for patients who suffer from them, and I am excited to have him join our Board of Directors,” said Martin Tolar, MD, PhD, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alzheon. “His development expertise and business experience will help us achieve our mission of improving the lives of patients with neurodegenerative disorders, beginning with ALZ-801 for Alzheimer’s disease, which is planned to begin pivotal studies in the near future, and then continuing with other promising drug candidates in our portfolio.”

Dr. Langer joins Alzheon’s Board of Directors at a time when Alzheon is preparing to begin pivotal Phase 3 studies of ALZ-801 in Alzheimer’s disease using a subpopulation-based development strategy that leverages data from Phase 3 studies in more than 2,000 Alzheimer’s patients with the active molecule tramiprosate. Dr. Langer adds to the substantial breadth of drug development and industry leadership represented on Alzheon’s Board of Directors, which includes Jean-Pierre Garnier, PhD, Chairman of the Board; Franz Hefti, PhD; Scott Minick; David Nikodem, PhD; and Dr. Tolar.

“I am excited to be a part of the team that brings a much needed new medicine to Alzheimer’s disease patients,” said Dr. Langer. “Alzheon has looked deeply at the existing biology of Alzheimer’s and clinical data to develop ALZ-801, which stops the underlying amyloid pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Most importantly, Alzheon has positioned orally-available ALZ-801 to be on an accelerated development path to facilitate bringing an innovative treatment to patients.”

Dr. Langer is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine and has extensive experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical and specialty pharmaceutical companies, having served on Boards and in various leadership and operating roles. Currently, Dr. Langer serves as a Director of Myriad Genetics, Inc.; Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Delcath Systems, Inc.; and several private companies. From 1994 to 2004, Dr. Langer held several executive-level positions at GlaxoSmithKline plc and its predecessor, SmithKline Beecham, including most recently as a Senior Vice President of Research and Development. Prior to SmithKline Beecham, Dr. Langer was President and CEO of Neose Technologies, Inc., and before that he held R&D and marketing positions at Eli Lilly, Abbott and Searle. Under his leadership at pharmaceutical companies, more than 60 products were developed and/or commercialized.

At the beginning of his career, Dr. Langer was a Chief Resident at Yale University School of Medicine and held clinical fellowships at Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health. He received a JD from Harvard Law School, an MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine, and a BA in Biology from Columbia University.

About Alzheon
Alzheon, Inc. is committed to developing innovative medicines for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Our lead clinical candidate, ALZ-801, is a first-in-class, oral inhibitor of amyloid aggregation and neurotoxicity—hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. ALZ-801 is an optimized, novel prodrug that builds on the established safety and efficacy profile of the active compound in clinical trials of more than 2,000 patients. Our mission is to apply our discovery platform and development experience to unlock new classes of therapeutics that make a difference in patients’ lives by directly addressing the underlying pathology of devastating neurodegenerative disorders. For more information, please visit www.alzheon.com.