Clinical-stage company Tryptamine Therapeutics (ASX:TYP) has announced the appointment of Herwig Janssen as its non-executive chairman.
As part of the appointment, Mark Davies will step down as chair, while Chris Ntoumenopoulos will transition to executive director.
As an executive director, Mr Ntoumenopoulos will increase his operational and market engagement involvement as the company embarks on the next phase of the clinical development pathway for its lead drug candidate, TRP-8803, following the successful completion of Phase 1 trials.
Mr Janssen is an experienced international healthcare and pharmaceutical executive. Most recently, he served as vice president for licensing and acquisitions (emerging markets) at J&J Innovative Medicine.
Mr Janssen brings more than 40 years of sector experience, during which time he has led business development activities for J&J in global emerging markets.
Mr Janssen said, “I am pleased to be joining the board of Tryptamine at this juncture, with the company having already established itself as a pioneer in the field of precision psychedelic therapies. My decision to join as Chairman was informed in part by my belief in the potential of these treatments to achieve improved health outcomes, and through its clinical program to-date, Tryptamine has demonstrated its commitment to designing and executing a comprehensive trial framework in accordance with best-in-class quality control standards.
“As we advance to the next phase of trials, I look forward to leveraging my experience in international healthcare markets to help guide the strategic direction of the business and, in the process, advancing the field of psychedelic-assisted medicine with our world-first research and clinical development program.”
CEO Jason Carroll added, “The addition of Herwig as chairman is a significant appointment. With decades of experience as a senior global healthcare executive, we look forward to benefiting from his insights to help guide the company's commercialisation strategy at board level. Along with Chris’s transition to the executive director role, these board changes are consistent with Tryp’s stated strategy to continually augment our board and management team with best-in-class candidates who have the required skill sets to oversee the advancement of our clinical development pathway. In turn, the company is now ultimately positioned at an important juncture, with the pending commencement of world-first clinical trials for the use of our lead drug candidate TRP-8803 to treat Binge Eating Disorder (BED).
“I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Davies for his significant contribution as chairman. Having overseen a strategic acquisition, a $6m funding round and the successful completion of Phase I trials, Mark hands over the reins with the company in a strong position to achieve our commercial objectives. We look forward to updating investors on our next round of key milestones as we embark on an exciting clinical development pathway in the coming months.”