Andrew Gengos Out, John Walker in as Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CEO

San Francisco Business Times by Ron Leuty, Reporter

Andrew Gengos, who led Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals Inc. into a Phase II trial of its experimental treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease, has left the company.

Veteran Bay Area biotech executive John Walker, Neuraltus' chairman, took over Aug. 15 as interim CEO, according to a company telephone message.

The privately held Palo Alto company did not announce Gengos' departure, but its website now lists Walker as chairman and CEO.

What Gengos' departure means for Neuraltus and its lead drug, NP-001, is unclear. The company expected to announce data yet this year on its 105-patient, mid-stage trial in Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Both Walker and Gengos said Tuesday that they could not comment on the separation.

Walker has been executive chairman, chairman or CEO of 17 biotech and medical device companies, including KAI Pharmaceuticals, Novacea Inc., Aerovance Inc., Renovis Inc. and iPierian Inc.

KAI was bought by Amgen Inc. this year for $412 million, Novacea merged with Transcept Pharmaceuticals Inc. in early 2009, and Renovis merged with Evotec AG in 2008. Walker also was the CEO of iZumi Bio Inc. before it combined with Pierian Inc. to form iPierian.

Walker also has served as an advisor or consultant to a handful of venture capital firms and is on the boards of Affymax Inc., Ceregene Inc. and Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University.

Investors in Neuraltus include Latterell Venture Partners, VantagePoint Venture Partners and Adams Street Partners.

Gengos joined Neuraltus in early 2010 with the goal of putting three programs in Phase I or Phase II in 2010. But Neuraltus now has only the mid-stage trial of NP-001 in ALS, according to ClinicalTrials.gov.

A Phase I/II study of NP-002 to treat movement disorders caused by levadopa therapy in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease was completed in late 2010 but has not moved forward. Preclinical NP-003 will begin Phase I/II testing this year, the company's website said, and is designed to for lysosomal storage disorders, such as Fabry's disease and Gaucher's disease, but also could have treat Parkinson's patients.

Neuraltus was founded by Dr. Michael McGrath of the University of California, San Francisco, Stanford University's Dr. Edgar Engleman, and Ari Azhir.

Before joining Neuraltus, Gengos had served as vice president of strategy and corporate development at Amgen Inc. He also had been chief financial officer and chief business officer at Dynavax Technologies Corp. and vice president of strategy at Chiron Corp.

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