PRESS RELEASES
Toft Group Completes CEO Search for Neurotrope, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRP)
SAN DIEGO, CA, December 18, 2017 – Executive search firm Toft Group has placed Charles S. Ryan, JD, PhD as Chief Executive Officer and Director at Neurotrope, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRP) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in New York, NY. Dr. Ryan becomes a Director of the Company effective immediately and will assume his responsibilities as CEO effective February 15, 2018.
“We are proud to have placed Dr. Ryan as Neurotrope’s next CEO. His experience in late-stage drug development and commercialization in the Alzheimer’s disease space will add great value to the leadership team and for the company’s investors over time,” said Robin Toft, CEO of Toft Group.
Dr. Ryan brings with him an extensive background in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Most notably, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Forest Laboratories for more than 10 years, where he managed several intellectual property estates, including participating in the development and commercial launch of Namenda® (memantine HCL), a blockbuster drug for the treatment of AD that generated peak sales of approximately $1.5 billion in 2014. Dr. Ryan worked closely with the commercial and development teams as well as experts in the field, establishing a strong network in the AD space.
“The fundamental science behind Neurotrope’s lead drug candidate, bryostatin, is very solid,” said Dr. Ryan. “The compound’s unique mechanism of action represents one of the most promising therapeutic approaches to not only slow cognitive decline, but actually improve cognition in patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, a patient population that is extremely difficult to treat. I look forward to working with my new colleagues at Neurotrope to advance the development of bryostatin for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.”
Dr. Ryan is currently serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Orthobond Corporation, where he is responsible for all aspects of the company’s daily operations and works closely with the Board of Directors developing the short and long term strategic plans for the company. Dr. Ryan has negotiated several partnership, financing and licensing agreements. After leaving Forest Laboratories and prior to joining Orthobond, Dr. Ryan served as Vice President, General Counsel for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In this role at Cold Spring, he provided guidance on business, legal and public policy issues, including licensing, patenting, partnerships, alliances, compliance and regulatory matters. Dr. Ryan currently serves on the Board of two public companies, Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. and BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. as well as Orthobond, Inc. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of The College of Wooster. He holds a BA in Chemistry from The College of Wooster, a PhD in Oral Biology and Pathology from Stony Brook University and a JD from Western New England University.
About Neurotrope
Neurotrope is at the forefront of developing a new approach to combating AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. The Company’s world-class science offers the potential to realize a paradigm shift to overcome one of today’s most challenging clinical problems — finding a way to slow or even prevent the progression of AD.
In addition to the Company’s Phase 2 trial of bryostatin-1 in advanced AD, Neurotrope has also conducted preclinical studies of bryostatin as a potential treatment for Fragile X Syndrome, Niemann-Pick Type C disease and Rett Syndrome—three rare genetic diseases for which only symptomatic treatments are currently available. The FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Neurotrope for Bryostatin-1 as a treatment for Fragile X Syndrome. Bryostatin-1 has already undergone testing in more than 1,500 people in cancer studies, thus creating a large safety data base that will further inform clinical trial designs in AD.
About Toft Group Executive Search
Toft Group Executive Search is “Changing the Future of Medicine, One Relationship at a Time” and we take pride in the fact that our work helps our clients accelerate getting novel products to market. We are a global retained executive search firm that is 100% dedicated to life sciences & healthcare industries. Our customers include biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, digital health, and diagnostic companies. With offices in San Francisco, San Diego, and Boston, we assist a wide range of local, national and international companies – from venture backed start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.
Contact:
Robin Toft
President & CEO
rtoft@thetoftgroup.com
