ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Esperion (NASDAQ: ESPR) today announced the appointment of Alan Fuhrman as a Class III director, with a term expiring at the 2022 meeting of stockholders.
"On behalf of the Lipid Management team and our directors, I am very pleased to welcome Alan to the Esperion board. His extensive financial leadership experience will be extremely valuable as Esperion transitions to both developing and commercializing oral, LDL-C lowering medicines,” said Tim Mayleben, president and chief executive officer of Esperion. "With the recent U.S. approvals of the NEXLETOLTM (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZETTM (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets, we are poised to deliver on the commercial promise of our medicines while continuing to advance the development of oral, once-daily LDL-C lowering medicines for the millions of patients in need. Alan’s accounting and financial acumen will help the company to successfully and responsibly navigate these opportunities for our shareholders.”
Mr. Fuhrman brings over 20 years of executive financial experience in biotechnology, medical devices, technology and services. He has experience in a wide variety of both public and private company financial transactions. Mr. Fuhrman is a member of the board of directors for SpringWorks Therapeutics and is a member of the board of directors of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals. Alan is currently chief financial officer of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on developing novel products for life-threatening infections. He previously served as CFO of Mirna Therapeutics, a clinical-stage microRNA company that merged with Synlogic in August 2017 and at Ambit Biosciences, where he helped lead the company through its initial public offering and oversaw financial, investor and administrative operations until its sale to Daiichi Sankyo in 2014.
"I’m pleased to be joining Esperion at this pivotal time in their evolution," said Mr. Fuhrman. “I’m confident in the mission of the Esperion team to deliver lipid management for everybody. There are millions of patients that stand to benefit from the company’s ability to successfully execute on its commercial strategy.”
Esperion Therapeutics
Through scientific and clinical excellence, and a deep understanding of cholesterol biology, the experienced Lipid Management Team at Esperion is committed to developing new LDL-C lowering medicines that will make a substantial impact on reducing global cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death around the world. For more information, please visit www.esperion.com and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EsperionInc.
Esperion Therapeutics’ Commitment to Patients with Hyperlipidemia
High levels of LDL-C can lead to a build-up of fat and cholesterol in and on artery walls (known as atherosclerosis), potentially leading to cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. In the U.S., 96 million people, or more than 37 percent of the adult population, have elevated LDL-C. There are approximately 18 million people in the U.S. living with elevated levels of LDL-C despite taking maximally tolerated lipid-modifying therapy — including individuals considered statin averse — leaving them at high risk for cardiovascular events1. In the United States, more than 50 percent of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) patients and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) patients who are not able to reach their guideline recommended LDL-C levels with statins alone need less than a 40 percent reduction to reach their LDL-C threshold goal2.
Esperion's mission as the Lipid Management Company is to deliver oral, once-daily medicines that complement existing oral drugs to provide the additional LDL-C lowering that these patients need.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the regulatory approval pathway for bempedoic acid tablet and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe fixed dose combination tablet, the therapeutic potential of, and the clinical development plan for bempedoic acid tablet and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe fixed dose combination tablet, including Esperion's timing, designs, plans for announcement of results regarding its CLEAR Outcomes study and other ongoing clinical studies for bempedoic acid tablet and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe combination fixed dose tablet, timing for the review and approval of the NDAs and the MAAs, and Esperion's expectations for the market for medicines to lower LDL-C, including the commercial launch and market adoption of bempedoic acid tablet and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe fixed dose combination tablet, if approved. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause Esperion's actual results to differ significantly from those projected, including, without limitation, delays or failures in Esperion’s studies, that positive results from a clinical study of bempedoic acid may not be sufficient for EMA approval or necessarily be predictive of the results of future or ongoing clinical studies, that notwithstanding the completion of Esperion’s Phase 3 clinical development program for LDL-C lowering, the FDA or EMA require additional development in connection with seeking regulatory approval, or approval of an expanded indication, that existing cash resources may be used more quickly than anticipated, and the risks detailed in Esperion's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Esperion disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, other than to the extent required by law.
References
1 Esperion market research on file: research project interviewing 350 physicians. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Sept-Oct 2018.
2 Data on file: analysis of NHANES database. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. 2018.
Investor Contact:
Alex Schwartz
Esperion
734-249-3386
aschwartz@esperion.com
Media Contact:
Ben Church
Esperion
734-864-6774
bchurch@esperion.com