Seasoned veteran brings two decades of commercial experience to Acer
Acer continues to execute on activities towards its goal of commercializing EDSIVO™
NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Acer Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ACER), a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and ultra-rare diseases with critical unmet medical need, today announced that it has appointed Salma Jutt as Chief Commercial Officer. If EDSIVO™ is approved by the FDA for the treatment of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS), Ms. Jutt will lead its launch and commercialization. Ms. Jutt will report directly to Chris Schelling, CEO and Founder of Acer.
“We are pleased to welcome Salma to the executive management team,” said Mr. Schelling. “She brings tremendous experience and deep industry knowledge to this role and will be instrumental in accelerating our pre-commercial activities supporting our U.S. launch of EDSIVO™ if it is approved by the FDA for the treatment of vEDS. Salma will also lead our new product planning efforts for our future pipeline product candidates, as we continue with efforts to move those programs forward.”
Ms. Jutt added, “I am thrilled to join the Acer team at this exciting time as we prepare for the potential launch of EDSIVO™ in vEDS. U.S. patients currently have no treatment options for this devastating disease and the opportunity to improve their lives makes it an opportune moment for me to join. I look forward to helping the company succeed.”
About Salma Jutt
Ms. Jutt joined Acer as Chief Commercial Officer in December 2018. She brings over 20 years of experience in life sciences managing US and Global P&Ls, building and leading integrated teams across all commercial functions for large-scale product launches at companies that include Allergan, Boehringer Ingelheim, Orexigen Therapeutics and Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Jutt began her career in sales at Boehringer Ingelheim and spent 15 years at Allergan in progressive sales and marketing leadership roles on highly successful brands prior to her previous appointment as Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer for Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals. She has deep therapeutic experience bringing scientifically differentiated treatments to consumers and physicians in highly competitive market categories across Women’s Health, CNS, Endocrinology, Bariatrics, Medical Aesthetics, Plastic Surgery, Dermatology and Ophthalmology. Ms. Jutt’s experience in strategy and execution excellence spans cash pay and reimbursed markets, buy-and-bill and prescription selling models, innovative distribution channels, such as telemedicine and e-commerce, complex pricing strategies, patient and HCP advocacy, DTC, digital and social patient acquisition, corporate strategy and M&A integration. In her prior role, she led worldwide commercial operations with a presence in 68 countries, recently driving double digit growth in prescriptions and net sales for Contrave, the #1 prescribed weight loss brand. Ms. Jutt has also held leadership roles in sales and marketing for Botox® Cosmetic, Juvederm Voluma®, Latisse® and Lumigan® and served on the Allergan Facial Aesthetics Leadership Team across a $1B+ business. In her time at Allergan, she led the organization-wide launch of Latisse® and created a brand-new market category; with her leadership, Latisse® became one of the top products in medical aesthetics. Ms. Jutt holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is a member of the board of directors of the American Heart Association, and she is actively involved in Global Genes.
About Acer Therapeutics
Acer, headquartered in Newton, MA, is a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for patients with serious rare and ultra-rare diseases with critical unmet medical need. Acer’s late-stage clinical pipeline includes two candidates for severe genetic disorders: EDSIVO™ (celiprolol) for vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS), and ACER-001 (a fully taste-masked, immediate release formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate) for urea cycle disorders (UCD) and Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD). There are no FDA-approved drugs for vEDS and MSUD and limited options for UCD, which collectively impact approximately 7,000 patients in the U.S. Acer’s product candidates have clinical proof-of-concept and mechanistic differentiation, and Acer intends to seek approval for them in the U.S. by using the regulatory pathway established under section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) that allows an applicant to rely at least in part on third-party data for approval, which may expedite the preparation, submission, and approval of a marketing application.
For more information, visit www.acertx.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected expenses, regulatory approvals, cash position, liquidity, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to expectations regarding our capitalization and resources; the potential for EDSIVO™ (celiprolol) and ACER-001 to safely and effectively treat diseases and to be approved for marketing; the commercial or market opportunity in any target indication; the adequacy of our capital to support our future operations and our ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials and regulatory submissions; the ability to protect our intellectual property rights; the nature, strategy and our focus; future economic conditions or performance; and the development, expected timeline and commercial potential of any of our product candidates. We may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with the ability to project future cash utilization and reserves needed for contingent future liabilities and business operations, the availability of sufficient resources to meet our business objectives and operational requirements, the fact that the results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future clinical trial results, the protection and market exclusivity provided by our intellectual property, risks related to the drug development and the regulatory approval process and the impact of competitive products and technological changes. We disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. You should review additional disclosures we make in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K. You may access these documents for no charge at http://www.sec.gov.
Investor Contact:
Hans Vitzthum
LifeSci Advisors
Ph: 617-535-7743
hans@lifesciadvisors.com