Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ICPT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat progressive non-viral liver diseases, today announced the appointment of Christian Weyer, M.D., M.A.S., as Executive Vice President, Research & Development, reporting to Dr. Mark Pruzanski, President and CEO. Dr. David Shapiro will continue in his role as Chief Medical Officer.
“Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in metabolic drug development to the executive management team at Intercept,” said Dr. Pruzanski. “His track record of managing global clinical development programs and strategic partnerships, combined with his clinical trial experience that spans all stages of product development and the continuum of diabetes, obesity and NASH, makes Chris ideally suited to lead our R&D organization moving forward.”
Dr. Weyer most recently served as President and Chief Development Officer of ProSciento, a clinical research and development service provider focused on diabetes, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and NASH. Prior to ProSciento, Dr. Weyer held executive leadership roles as President and CEO of Fate Therapeutics and as Senior Vice President of Research & Development, among other leadership roles of increasing responsibility, at Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, Dr. Weyer held positions at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Metabolic Disorders at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany.
“Building on a strong scientific foundation with compelling clinical evidence, Intercept is leading the industry’s most advanced clinical development program in NASH, a prevalent and serious disorder with global health-economic impact and no currently available pharmacological treatment options,” said Dr. Weyer. “I am thrilled to be joining the company at such a significant juncture and look forward to helping advance its mission of bringing innovative new treatments to patients around the world who are living with progressive non-viral liver diseases with high unmet needs.”
About Intercept
Intercept is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat progressive non-viral liver diseases, including primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and biliary atresia. Founded in 2002 in New York, Intercept now has operations in the United States, Europe and Canada. For more information, please visit www.interceptpharma.com
About Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a serious progressive liver disease caused by excessive fat accumulation in the liver that induces chronic inflammation, resulting in progressive fibrosis (scarring) that can lead to cirrhosis, eventual liver failure, cancer and death. There are currently no medications approved for the treatment of NASH. The proportion of liver transplants attributable to NASH has increased rapidly in past years and by 2020 the disease is projected to become the leading indication for liver transplant.
For more information about Intercept Pharmaceuticals, please contact:
Mark Vignola
+1-646-747-1000
investors@interceptpharma.com
Christopher Frates
+1-646-757-2371
media@interceptpharma.com
