Edgewise Therapeutics Strengthens Leadership Team to Support Late-Stage Clinical Development
- Robert Blaustein, M.D., Ph.D. appointed as Chief Development Officer (CDO) -
- Behrad Derakhshan, Ph.D. promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) -
Edgewise Therapeutics, Inc., (NASDAQ:EWTX), a leading muscle disease biopharmaceutical company, today announced key changes to its executive team that will strengthen its leadership and sharpen the Company's focus on late-stage clinical development. These changes include the addition of Robert Blaustein, M.D., Ph.D., joining the Company as Chief Development Officer and the promotion of Behrad Derakhshan, Ph.D. from Chief Business Officer to Chief Operating Officer.
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Robert Blaustein, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Development Officer, Edgewise Therapeutics (Photo: Business Wire)
"These leadership changes signify our organization's progression into late-stage clinical development, setting the stage for the future commercialization of our novel therapeutics," said Kevin Koch, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Edgewise Therapeutics. "As we welcome Rob, it's an exciting time for the Company, and we are fortunate to have a highly experienced executive team guiding us forward."
Robert Blaustein, M.D., Ph.D., joins the Company as Chief Development Officer, responsible for leading EDG-7500, a novel cardiac sarcomere modulator in Phase 2 development, as well as the cardiovascular and cardiometabolic pipeline. With significant depth of experience in cardiovascular drug development, Dr. Blaustein joins from Merck where he was most recently Associate Vice President and the Atherosclerosis Section Head in the Atherosclerosis and Metabolism Clinical Research Department, leading all late phase development efforts in this area. During his 15+ years at Merck, Dr. Blaustein contributed to clinical programs across a range of cardiovascular targets and led clinical development in the atherosclerosis and heart failure spaces. Importantly, he led the vericiguat development team through the completion of the Phase 3 VICTORIA heart failure trial, subsequent regulatory filing and global approval of vericiguat for the treatment of patients with worsening heart failure, a collaborative effort with Bayer AG. Dr. Blaustein obtained his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Wesleyan University. His post-graduate training included medical residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital, cardiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an HHMI post-doctoral fellowship in the Biochemistry Department at Brandeis University. He subsequently served on the faculty of Tufts Medical Center prior to joining Merck.
Dr. Semigran, current CDO, will depart from the Company and will serve as a clinical advisor for a period to ensure a smooth transition. "On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Edgewise organization, I want to thank Marc for his leadership and contributions to our cardiovascular program," said Dr. Koch. "Marc played a prominent role in successfully advancing EDG-7500 in the clinic." Most recently the Company reported positive topline data of EDG-7500 in the Phase 1 trial in healthy subjects and from the single-dose arm (part A) of the Phase 2 CIRRUS-HCM trial in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Further, the Company opened and began enrolling the 28-day arms (parts B and C) and the 12-week open label extension (part D) of the CIRRUS-HCM trial in patients with obstructive HCM and non-obstructive HCM. There are no changes in previously described milestone timelines for the Company's cardiovascular program.
Behrad Derakhshan, Ph.D., joined Edgewise in 2020 as Chief Business Officer, leading the Company's efforts in strategic planning, business development, capital formation, investor relations, corporate communications and commercial planning. He was instrumental through the Company's highly successful initial public offering, played a key role securing several additional funding rounds and driving the strategic direction of the organization. Dr. Derakhshan's leadership and vision have been instrumental in fueling Edgewise's growth and success to date. As COO, Dr. Derakhshan will be responsible for enabling the operational readiness of the organization as the Company approaches significant milestones in the muscular dystrophy and cardiovascular programs, moving toward a commercial-ready biopharmaceutical company.
These changes to the Edgewise executive team are effective immediately.
About Edgewise Therapeutics
Edgewise Therapeutics is a leading muscle disease biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for muscular dystrophies and serious cardiac conditions. The Company's deep expertise in muscle physiology is driving a new generation of novel therapeutics. Sevasemten is an orally administered first-in-class fast skeletal myosin inhibitor in late-stage clinical trials in Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophies. EDG-7500 is a novel cardiac sarcomere modulator for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other diseases of diastolic dysfunction, currently in Phase 2 clinical development. The entire team at Edgewise is dedicated to our mission: changing the lives of patients and families affected by serious muscle diseases. To learn more, go to: www.edgewisetx.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X , Facebook and Instagram.
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Edgewise Contacts
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