Nevan Elam, Former Head of Nektar Therapeutic’s Pulmonary Business Unit, Among New Board of Directors Members
AUSTIN, Texas, March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Savara, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel respiratory therapeutics utilizing its NanoCluster dry-powder formulation technology, today announced that it has expanded its Board of Directors and elected three new members.
Nevan Elam, former head of the pulmonary business unit at Nektar Therapeutics, has been appointed to fill a seat previously held by Cory Berkland, Ph.D. The board has also been expanded from three members to five, with Curt Bilby, Ph.D., and Matthew Dennis filling the new seats.
“We are honored to have these new members join the Board of Directors,” said Rob Neville, Executive Chairman of the Board of Savara. “Their experience, including Mr. Elam’s proven track record in the pulmonary drug delivery space, will provide an essential perspective as we respond to increasing interest in our platform NanoCluster technology.”
“Savara’s formulation technology combines the features of nanoparticles in structured microparticles to yield a powder with ideal aerodynamic properties for inhalation. Their approach is unique and addresses many of the challenges associated with existing formulation technologies. I am excited to be a part this company and to help guide the next generation pulmonary drug delivery technology,” said Mr. Elam.
Mr. Elam, 41, is a former member of the executive management team of Nektar Therapeutics where he served as senior vice president, head of the pulmonary business unit. In this role, he oversaw all pulmonary business including research and development, manufacturing and strategic partnerships. Most recently Mr. Elam was responsible for the sale of Nektar’s pulmonary business to Novartis for $115 million on Dec. 31, 2008.
Dr. Bilby, 49, is president & CEO of Terapio, a pharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of protein-based therapeutics. He is a four-time biotechnology CEO with more than 20 years of entrepreneurial leadership and executive management experience - both domestically and in Europe. Dr. Bilby also serves as Chairman of BioAustin.
Mr. Dennis, 41, is currently senior director of International Equities, Invesco AIM. As a global equity strategist, he has extensive experience analyzing business models, corporate strategies and market trends with a particular emphasis on the European pharmaceutical industry. He is involved in several different funds and mandates with a collective net asset value of approximately $11 billion, and is directly responsible for managing $6 billion of international and global equity assets.
About Savara, Inc.
Savara (www.savarapharma.com) is developing next generation pulmonary drug delivery solutions using its NanoCluster formulation technology, which is now available for evaluation and license. Medicines manufactured using the NanoCluster technology are formulated directly from nanoparticle actives without the need for carrier particles or spray drying. The aerodynamics of NanoCluster formulations are fully customizable and permit targeted deposition of medicines to specific lung regions, including the deep lung. Savara expects that these NanoCluster features will translate into numerous patient benefits including reduced doses, enhanced efficacy, improved safety and tolerability as well as greater patient convenience.
CONTACT: Media: Ian Stone: Russo Partners, LLC, +1-619-528-2220,
Ian.Stone@russopartnersllc.com; Partners: Josef Bossart, +1-512-535-3613,
Jbossart@savarapharma.com or Investors: Rob Neville, +1-512-970-4740,
Rob.Neville@savarapharma.com, both of Savara, Inc.
Web site: http://www.savarapharma.com/
