Longboard Pharmaceuticals, Inc Appoints Phillip Schneider and Paul Sekhri to Board of Directors
January 20, 2021 at 04:30 pm EST
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Longboard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that Phillip Schneider and Paul Sekhri have been appointed to its board of directors. Phillip Schneider held various positions with IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, from 1987 to 2003, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 1997 to 2003. Prior to that, Mr. Schneider held various management positions at Syntex Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a pharmaceutical company, from 1985 to 1987, and KPMG LLP, an audit and tax advisory firm, from 1982 to 1984, where he attained his CPA license. Mr. Schneider has served as a member of the board of directors of ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, since June 2019, and YMCA of San Diego County since 2002. Mr. Schneider previously served as a member of the board of directors at Pfenex Inc. from 2014 until its acquisition by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in 2020, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2008 to 2018, Auspex Pharmaceuticals from 2014 until its acquisition by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2015, and Gen-Probe, Inc. from 2002 until its acquisition by Hologic Inc. in 2012. Paul Sekhri has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of eGenesis, Inc., a biotechnology company, since January 2019. Prior to joining eGenesis, Inc., Mr. Sekhri served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Lycera Corp., a biopharmaceutical company, from February 2015 through December 2018. From April 2014 through January 2015, Mr. Sekhri served as Senior Vice President, Integrated Care at Sanofi. From May 2013 through March 2014, Mr. Sekhri served as Group Executive Vice President, Global Business Development and Chief Strategy Officer for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Prior to joining Teva, Mr. Sekhri spent five years as Operating Partner and Head of the Biotechnology Operating Group at TPG Biotech, the life sciences venture capital arm of TPG Capital. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Sekhri was Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to founding Cerimon, Mr. Sekhri was President and Chief Business Officer of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Previously, Mr. Sekhri spent five years as Senior Vice President, and Head of Global Search and Evaluation, Business Development and Licensing for Novartis Pharma AG. Mr. Sekhri also developed the Disease Area Strategy for Novartis, identifying those specific therapeutic areas upon which the company would focus. Mr. Sekhri’s first role at Novartis was as Global Head, Early Commercial Development.
Longboard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines for neurological diseases. The Company is working to advance a portfolio of centrally acting product candidates designed to be highly selective for specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). It is focused on developing various product candidates in its pipeline, which includes bexicaserin (LP352) and LP659. The Company plans to advance bexicaserin (LP352), an oral, centrally acting 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C (5-HT2C) receptor superagonist, with no observed impact on 5-HT2B and 5-HT2A receptor subtypes, into a global Phase 3 program. It is also evaluating LP659, an oral, centrally acting, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor subtypes 1 and 5 modulator, which is in development for the potential treatment of rare neuroinflammatory conditions. The Company is conducting a Phase 1 single-ascending dose (SAD) clinical trial for LP659 in healthy volunteers.