PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sparrow Pharmaceuticals, an emerging clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, targeted therapies for disorders of corticosteroid excess, today announced the appointment of Frank Czerwiec, MD, PhD as Chief Medical Officer and Jamie MacPherson, PharmD as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality. Dr. Czerwiec has more than 35 years of experience in industry, academia, and public service, was Boarded in Adult Endocrinology & Metabolism, with training from the National Institutes of Health, Inter-institute Adult Endocrine Fellowship. He maintains an active medical license and is a member of the Endocrine Society and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. MacPherson brings her more than 20 years of experience as a regulatory affairs and quality assurance professional in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries across a wide variety of therapeutic areas.

“The addition of Frank and Jamie to our leadership team significantly strengthens our capabilities as a clinical development organization,” said Robert Jacks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sparrow. “We are now well positioned to accelerate development of our innovative therapeutics through mid- and late-stage development.”

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Czerwiec will initially lead Sparrow’s multiple, global, clinical development programs for lead candidate SPI-62, a potent and selective HSD-1 inhibitor. Previously, Dr. Czerwiec held various drug development positions of increasing responsibility at Goldfinch Bio, Otsuka, and Merck.

“With SPI-62, Sparrow is taking a completely new approach to addressing conditions where excess glucocorticoid ‘steroids’ are the primary causal factor,” commented Dr. Czerwiec. “By targeting the intracellular activation of these steroids in key organs, we have an opportunity to mitigate a variety of toxicities and address previously intractable unmet needs in patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome and Autonomous Cortisol Secretion, and to potentially transform the treatment of devastating autoimmune diseases such as polymyalgia rheumatica.”

As Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality, Dr. MacPherson will lead interactions with regulatory authorities worldwide and oversee the implementation of Sparrow’s quality management systems. In addition to her decades of experience at such companies as Akcea, Alexion, Genzyme, EMD Serono, and Repligen, Dr. MacPherson brings a passion for advancing impactful therapies for rare diseases that can meaningfully improve patient lives.

To learn more about Sparrow Pharmaceuticals and its leadership team, visit the website at www.SparrowPharma.com

About Sparrow Pharmaceuticals

Sparrow Pharmaceuticals was founded to spare patients the ravages of steroids. Leveraging underappreciated scientific insights into corticosteroid biology, the company is working to provide better treatment options for serious disorders of hypercortisolism, and to revolutionize the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Its lead product, SPI-62, is an oral, small molecule, novel therapeutic treatment designed to target the source of active intracellular corticosteroids in key tissues.

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