About

About Euthymics

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. is a neuroscience-focused, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. We are a group of experienced drug developers with a track record of success in neuroscience product development. We are dedicated to providing better medicines to patients with depression, adult ADHD and other areas of unmet medical need related to neuroscience.

 

Euthymics’ leadership team is led by its co-founders Anthony McKinney and Frank Bymaster and is joined by Pierre Trân and other seasoned drug developers. Members of the Euthymics team have been involved in the development of Prozac, Cymbalta, Lunesta, Strattera and Zyprexa—all successful neuroscience medications.

 

 

Management team

 

Anthony McKinney, M.B.A.

President & CEO, Co-Founder

 

Mr. McKinney began his career at Du Pont Merck with roles in hospital sales, market research and new product planning. He was part of the core team that launched Ethmozine, a class 1 anti-arrhythmic. He spent six years at Texas Biotechnology where he was closely involved in the development and approval of argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor. In 2000 McKinney was a member of the start-up executive team at Novazyme, a biotech involved in lysosomal storage disorders and which was subsequently acquired by Genzyme. At Genzyme he took on a Sr. VP and General Manager role and helped guide the integration of the Novazyme and Genzyme early phase research programs.

 

In 2004 McKinney began at Orexigen and in early 2005 became the Chief Operating Officer with involvement in all aspects of corporate fund raising including series B and C rounds, successful Initial Public Offering and follow-on secondary offering. He had primary oversight of a substantial IP portfolio resulting in 7 major patent allowances/issuances and was the co-inventor of several important patents underlying Contrave and Empatic formulations. McKinney also had direct responsibility of formulation development and manufacturing operations, Business Development, Corporate Communications, Reimbursement and Pricing Strategy and Biostatistics.

 

Mr. McKinney holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology (concentration in chemistry) from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA in Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

 

 

Thomas A. Shea
Chief Financial Officer

 
Mr. Shea brings Euthymics three decades of biopharmaceutical industry experience, and has spent the last 12 years serving as CFO of biotechnology companies in the Boston area. Mr. Shea’s experience as CFO in the biopharmaceutical industry is extensive, and covers guiding early-stage firms through financial and clinical advances. Most recently, he served as CFO of biopharmaceutical firm Tolerx, Inc., which he helped grow from an early clinical-stage company to pre-commercialization. Previously, Mr. Shea served as CFO of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was instrumental in raising $500 million in several financing rounds and in the execution of a successful IPO as the company grew from early development to launching its successful drug Cubicin®. Earlier in his career, Mr. Shea held financial positions at ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp. Mr. Shea received an M.B.A. from Suffolk University and a B.S. from Babson College.
 

 

Frank Bymaster, M.S.

Chief Scientific Officer, Co-Founder

 

Frank Bymaster was a distinguished pre-clinical scientist with over 30 years experience within the Neuroscience Division at Lilly. He played a critical role in the discovery and development of the commercialized Lilly antidepressants Prozac, Cymbalta and Symbyax. In addition he was a key player in the success of the blockbuster antipsychotic Zyprexa and the ADHD compound Strattera. He is author of more than 120 scientific publications, book chapters, etc., and is an inventor on more than 20 US patents.

Frank holds a B.S. cum laude in Pharmacy from Butler University and an M.S. in Pharmacology from Indiana University, Bloomington.

 

 

Pierre Trân, M.D., M.M.M.

Chief Medical Officer

 

Pierre Trân, M.D. is the Euthymics Chief Medical Officer. Previously he was Chief Medical Officer at Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Cortex he was Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at XenoPort. Prior to XenoPort, he served as Global Medical Director, Joint Antidepressant Group, Eli Lilly and Company, overseeing the clinical development effort of novel antidepressant candidates. Dr. Trân joined Lilly Neuroscience in 1992 where he was involved in the early clinical development of olanzapine (Zyprexa). Later, he became a key member of the “olanzapine heavyweight core team” who oversaw the late-stage development and registration of Zyprexa leading to its successful worldwide commercialization. After the successful launch of Zyprexa, Dr. Trân oversaw the clinical development effort that resulted in the successful regulatory approval of duloxetine (Cymbalta) for the treatment of major depressive disorder and pain caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

 

Dr. Trân holds a Baccalauréat (Série D – Sciences and Mathematics) from Collège libre Mont-Roland, Dole (Jura), France and Diplôme d’Etat de Docteur en Médecine (Medical Doctor) from Université de Franche-Comté, Faculté de Médecine, Besançon (Doubs), France. He completed his residency in General Psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Dr. Trân also holds a Masters in Medical Management (MMM) from Tulane University, School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Department of Health Systems Management, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

 

 

Randall D. Marshall, MD

Executive Director, Medical Affairs

 

Dr. Marshall brings to Euthymics extensive experience in the psychiatric field. Prior to joining Euthymics, he served as Senior Medical Director, Clinical Research at Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and led programs in neuropathic pain, insomnia, schizophrenia, and depression involving several mechanisms, including their phase 1 triple reuptake inhibitor and marketed product Lunesta®. For 15 years prior, Dr. Marshall held positions at Columbia University and affiliated institution the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). He served as Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he conducted research funded by more than 30 federal, state, and nonprofit grants; taught and lectured nationally; and authored over 110 peer-reviewed journal articles, chapters and books. During this time, Dr. Marshall also served as Director of Trauma Studies, NYSPI, where he became a leader in clinical research and treatment of victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He has been named to the Best Doctors in America list several times. Dr. Marshall received an MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine after his undergraduate studies at Rice University and Kings College, University of London. He completed an internship, residency and NIMH-funded fellowship at Presbyterian Hospital and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

 

 

Walter Piskorski, M.B.A.

Vice President, Technical Operations

 

Walt Piskorski is a pharmaceutical veteran with extensive experience in all aspects of CMC operations. Most recently he headed up all CMC activities at Orexigen Pharmaceuticals including the CMC support for the Contrave NDA. Prior to that, for 12 years at Sepracor, he launched four new NDA products, all of different dosage forms and manufacturing technologies. He grew the outsourced operations from zero to a level supporting $1.2B of sales. Prior to Sepracor he led the team that successfully obtained the first generic albuterol inhaler ANDA for a US company. Earlier in his career at C.R.Bard & Baxter International, Walt helped develop and launch drug delivery products. Before that he designed pharmaceutical production facilities (drug product & drug substance) for Bristol-Myers Squibb. Walt has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Syracuse University.

 

 

William T. Pappafotopoulos, M.B.A.

Controller

 

Mr. Pappafotopoulos has been President and CEO of the Milton Financial Group, which he founded in 1985 and which serves venture capital, bioscience and financial firms, among others. Prior to forming the Milton Financial Group, Mr. Pappafotopoulos held financial, accounting and management positions in Fortune 100 companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Raytheon, and in the government, at the Internal Revenue Service. Mr. Pappafotopoulos received a B.S. in Accounting from Salem State University and an M.B.A. from Suffolk University.

 

 

Joan Manthis

Director of Clinical Operations

 

Ms. Manthis brings to Euthymics over 25 years of research and clinical trial management. Prior to joining Euthymics, Ms. Manthis served as Director of Clinical Operations at Orexigen Therapeutics. There, she was responsible for clinical operations for Contrave®, an investigational CNS drug for the treatment of obesity. Earlier in her career, Ms. Manthis worked at Eli Lilly and Company as Senior Clinical Development Associate, where she developed clinical programs in support of the Neuroscience Program Teams. Previously, Ms. Manthis held positions as Manager of Post-Marketing Research at MGI Pharma and as Senior Clinical Trial Leader and Clinical Research Supervisor at Medtronic, and she began her commercial career with positions of increasing responsibility at 3M Pharmaceuticals. She received an M.A. and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

 

 

Thomas J. Wilson

Director of Quality and Analytical

 

Mr. Wilson brings Euthymics two decades of experience in the bio-pharmaceutical industry, having spent the last 13 years in key quality, analytical and technical regulatory positions. His experience within start-up organizations is significant and includes the establishment of the quality units for both Orexigen Therapeutics and Sepracor (now Sunovion) as well as the development of a regulatory consulting service line for Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories. Mr. Wilson has played key roles in the preparation of more than six New Drug Applications and numerous INDs, including Lunesta®, Xopenex®, Brovana®, and Contrave®. Earlier in his career, Mr. Wilson held quality and analytical positions at companies including Mallinckrodt (now Covidien) and Granutec (a former subsidiary of Novopharm Ltd.). He received a B.Sc from Truman State University and conducted graduate studies at Kansas State University.

 

 

Anne Combebias, M.D.

Senior Director of Safety

 

Dr. Combebias has over 20 years of experience in global pharmaceutical product development, with a record of successful interactions with the U.S. FDA and international regulatory agencies. Dr. Combebias founded the consulting firm Pamedis Conseil, which advises companies on regulatory strategy. Throughout her career, Dr. Combebias has played critical roles in drug development programs with a special focus in medical/regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance. She has contributed to strategic planning, NDA filings and responses to address worldwide regulatory agencies at Stallergenes, where she served as Head of Medical Affairs, and earlier in roles at Pasteur-Merieux Connaught and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Dr. Combebias received an M.D. and an M.Sc. from the University of Franche-Comte (France).

 

 

Board of Directors

 

Anthony McKinney, M.B.A.

Mr. McKinney began his career at Du Pont Merck with roles in hospital sales, market research and new product planning. He was part of the core team that launched Ethmozine, a class 1 anti-arrhythmic. He spent six years at Texas Biotechnology where he was closely involved in the development and approval of argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor. In 2000 McKinney was a member of the start-up executive team at Novazyme, a biotech involved in lysosomal storage disorders and which was subsequently acquired by Genzyme. At Genzyme he took on a Sr. VP and General Manager role and helped guide the integration of the Novazyme and Genzyme early phase research programs.

 

In 2004 McKinney began at Orexigen and in early 2005 became the Chief Operating Officer with involvement in all aspects of corporate fund raising including series B and C rounds, successful Initial Public Offering and follow-on secondary offering. He had primary oversight of a substantial IP portfolio resulting in 7 major patent allowances/issuances and was the co-inventor of several important patents underlying Contrave and Empatic formulations. McKinney also had direct responsibility of formulation development and manufacturing operations, Business Development, Corporate Communications, Reimbursement and Pricing Strategy and Biostatistics.

 

Mr. McKinney holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology (concentration in chemistry) from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA in Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management..

 

Campbell Murray, M.D. (Chairman), Novartis Venture Funds

Dr. Murray has been Chairman of Euthymics since 2010 and is a Managing Director of the Novartis Venture Funds in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining the venture fund in 2005, he worked at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research as the director of special projects reporting to the president & CEO. Campbell is a New Zealand trained physician, Kauffman Fellow and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPP (public policy) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government where he was a Knox Fellow and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Campbell serves as a director on the boards of Aileron Therapeutics, Akebia Therapeutics, Alios BioPharma, BioRelix, Euthymics Bioscience, ProCertus BioPharm and Tokai Pharmaceuticals and as an observer on the board of MicroCHIPS and Tepha.

 

Dr. Paul Weiss, Venture Investors

Dr. Weiss has been a member of the Euthymics board since 2010. He joined Venture Investors in 2006, as a Managing Director. He focuses on making Healthcare investments and is an active member in the firm’s Venture Igniter program. Paul has over 17 years of operating experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. He previously was President of the Gala Biotech business unit of Cardinal Health (now Catalent Pharma solutions). Before joining Gala, Paul served as the VP of Business Development for 3-Dimensional pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: DDDP), a biotechnology company that completed its IPO during his tenure and was subsequently acquired by Johnson & Johnson. Earlier in his career, Paul worked as Director of Licensing for Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, a division of American Home Products (now Wyeth Pharmaceuticals). He also served as Director of Business Development and Research for Scientific Protein Labs (SPL), a division of American Home Products, prior to its spin-out. Paul began his career in industry as the Director of Operations for Columbia Research Labs (Nasdaq: COB), a small, publicly-held company that focuses on women’s health. Paul is currently a member of the Boards of Directors for Euthymics, Mithridion, ProCertus (also acting President and CEO) and Tissue Regeneration Systems. He is an observer at Cellectar. Paul also serves on the Board of Directors for Alfacell Corporation (Nasdaq: ACEL). Paul received a B.S. in Biochemistry with honors from Carleton University-Ottawa, Ontario, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also worked as a postdoctoral research associate.

 

Frank T. Gentile Ph.D., Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management

Dr. Gentile has been a member of the Euthymics board since 2010. He joined Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management in September 2002 as Vice President, Research; His emphasis is on the analysis of private and public companies in the fields of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Cell and Gene Therapy, Oncology and Cardiovascular Disease. Previously Frank was Vice President, Technology Program Management at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. At Millennium, Frank was responsible for management of all technology platform development programs. Prior to joining Millennium, Dr. Gentile was Vice President of Product Development at Curis, Inc., a biotechnology company in Cambridge developing products in the area of Regenerative Medicine. From 1997 to 2000 he was Director and then Vice President, Program Management at Reprogenesis, Inc. From 1990-1997 he was employed at CytoTherapeutics, Inc, where he held several scientific and management positions. Dr. Gentile received a B.E. degree in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT. Prior to working in industry, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Biotechnology at Brown University. He has written over 120 peer reviewed publications and holds 30 US patents in the area of biotechnology.

 

Andrew Baker, Ph.D., GBS Partners

Dr. Baker joined the Euthymics board in 2010. He joined GBS in 2002 with over 18 years experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including 14 years working with industry leaders Genentech, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson. While working in the United States, Andrew had key responsibilities that included directing pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, and identifying and evaluating technology opportunities. Andrew is on the board of GBS portfolio companies Hatchtech Pty Ltd, Spinifex Pty Ltd, Verva Ltd, and Xenome Ltd. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Science (Genetics) degree with honours from the University of Sydney and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the Australian National University in Canberra.

 

Timothy Barberich

Mr. Barberich joined the Euthymics board as an outside director in 2010. He is the founder and former president, chief executive officer and chairman of Sepracor Inc., a publicly traded pharmaceutical company based in Marlborough, Massachusetts which was acquired by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. in 2009. He founded Sepracor in 1984 and was president and chief executive officer through 1999 when he also became chairman. He also serves on the boards of HeartWare, BioSphere Medical, Gemin X Biotechnologies and Resolyx Pharmaceuticals. Prior to founding Sepracor, Mr. Barberich spent 10 years as a senior executive at Bedford, Massachusetts-based Millipore Corporation, a company that provides separations products to the life science research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and electronic markets. Mr. Barberich is a graduate of Kings College. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry.