Appointments represent Jaguar's focus on forging business development partnerships to advance crofelemer development and access and preparing for the expected near-term approval and commercialization of crofelemer prescription product for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in dogs
Company to host investor webcast Monday, September 20th at 8:30 a.m. Eastern; Click here to register for webcast
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 9, 2021 / Jaguar Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAGX) ("Jaguar" or the "Company") today announced the appointment of Karen J. Brunke, Ph.D., a microbiologist and pharmaceutical industry veteran, to the role of Executive Vice President of Corporate and Business Development. Jaguar today also announced the appointment of Chip Whitlow, a seasoned veteran of the animal and human health pharmaceutical arenas, as Marketing Director for the Company's animal health commercial products portfolio.
"It is an ideal time for us to welcome both Dr. Brunke and Chip to Jaguar, as we continue to pursue business development opportunities with possible partners for potential human crofelemer follow-on indications and prepare for the expected approval and launch of a prescription-based version of crofelemer for treatment of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea in dogs (CID) in Q4 2021 and for exercise-induced diarrhea (EID) in dogs in Q2 2022," stated Lisa Conte, Jaguar's president and CEO.
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 6 million new cancer diagnoses are made in dogs each year in the US. The number of dogs receiving cancer treatment in the US has increased over recent years, in part because cancer treatment is now being provided more frequently by general practice veterinarians rather than just by veterinary oncologists, and, according to PetCareRx, the cost of chemotherapy for a dog can range from $6,000 to $10,000.
Dr. Brunke brings to Jaguar over 30 years of scientific, operational, clinical, senior executive, and corporate development experience in both large and small biotechnology companies. Following her post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Cancer Research in Fox Chase, Dr. Brunke joined the seeds division of Sandoz, with her most recent position having been Research Director, overseeing a department whose successes included recombinant insect-resistant plants (GMOs) which have been an important backbone for the greater than $3 billion seed business of the now Syngenta Seeds. She was next part of the executive team that merged Mercator Genetics with Progenitor and helped take the resultant company public. Dr. Brunke was COO of Anexus Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of the Japanese public company MediBic, responsible for in- and out-licensing assistance for Japanese companies, and was next founding CEO of Cardeus Pharmaceuticals, a neuroscience company. In business and corporate development, Dr. Brunke has had primary responsibility for negotiating multiple partnerships and licenses, including with MedImmune and Astellas, and assisted in closing a deal with GlaxoSmithKline, among others. Dr. Brunke received her BA degree in Biochemistry as well as PhD in Microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania.
"I am excited to join Jaguar and believe crofelemer's novel mechanism of action has the potential to help an increasing number of patients in need around the world for multiple important indications," said Dr. Brunke. "In addition, with regard to Jaguar's mental health Entheogen Therapeutics Initiative, the Company's large library of plant extracts with well-documented knowledge of therapeutic use by traditional psychiatrists offers an opportunity for possible important new psychoactive compounds with previously unidentified mechanisms of action."
Mr. Whitlow has held leadership roles spanning sales management and marketing during his four decades in both the animal and human health pharmaceutical fields. He joins the Jaguar team from his most recent role as marketing manager at Norbrook, Inc. - one of the largest privately owned veterinary pharmaceutical companies in the world - and his prior national sales/corporate accounts manager responsibilities at Dechra Veterinary Products. Mr. Whitlow has extensive cross-functional animal health industry experience managing multiple companion animal and food animal product lines in varied therapeutic categories, new product launches, veterinary distribution, operations, and sales. He received an BS degree in Agriculture from the University of Missouri - Columbia.
"I am thrilled to be a part of the Jaguar team and look forward to supporting the expected commercial launch of crofelemer for CID and EID," stated Mr. Whitlow. "I believe crofelemer has the potential to help thousands of dogs experiencing diarrhea due to chemotherapy and that the product will be an important treatment option for veterinary healthcare teams and dog owners once approved for this indication.
About Jaguar Health, Inc., Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. & Napo EU S.p.A.
Jaguar Health, Inc. is a commercial stage pharmaceuticals company focused on developing novel, plant-based, non-opioid, and sustainably derived prescription medicines for people and animals with GI distress, specifically chronic, debilitating diarrhea. Our wholly owned subsidiary, Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., focuses on developing and commercializing proprietary plant-based human gastrointestinal pharmaceuticals from plants harvested responsibly from rainforest areas. Our Mytesi® (crofelemer) product is approved by the U.S. FDA for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy and the only oral plant-based prescription medicine approved under FDA Botanical Guidance. Napo EU S.p.A., the wholly owned Italian subsidiary of Napo Pharmaceuticals, focuses on expanding crofelemer access in Europe and is the named target of Dragon SPAC S.p.A., which closed its financing in July 2021 for gross proceeds of approximately 8,830,000 euros.
For more information about Jaguar, please visit https://jaguar.health. For more information about Napo Pharmaceuticals, visit www.napopharma.com. For more information about Napo EU, visit www.napoeu.com.
About Mytesi®
Mytesi® (crofelemer) is an antidiarrheal indicated for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adult patients with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Mytesi® is not indicated for the treatment of infectious diarrhea. Rule out infectious etiologies of diarrhea before starting Mytesi®. If infectious etiologies are not considered, there is a risk that patients with infectious etiologies will not receive the appropriate therapy and their disease may worsen. In clinical studies, the most common adverse reactions occurring at a rate greater than placebo were upper respiratory tract infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).
More information and complete Prescribing Information are available at Mytesi.com. Crofelemer, the active ingredient in Mytesi®, is a botanical (plant-based) drug extracted and purified from the red bark sap of the medicinal Croton lechleri tree in the Amazon Rainforest. Napo has established a sustainable harvesting program for crofelemer to ensure a high degree of quality and ecological integrity.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements." These include statements regarding the expectation that the Company will host an investor webcast on September 20, 2021, the Company's expectation that the approval and launch of crofelemer for CID in dogs will occur in Q4 2021 and for EID in dogs in Q2 2022, the belief that crofelemer's novel mechanism of action has the potential to help an increasing number of patients in need around the world for multiple important indications, the belief that the Company's large library of plant extracts with well-documented knowledge of therapeutic use by traditional psychiatrists offers an opportunity for possible important new psychoactive compounds with previously unidentified mechanisms of action, and the belief that crofelemer has the potential to help thousands of dogs experiencing diarrhea due to chemotherapy and that the product will be an important treatment option for veterinary healthcare teams and dog owners once approved for this indication. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "aim," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are only predictions. Jaguar has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond Jaguar's control. Except as required by applicable law, Jaguar does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
Contact:
Peter Hodge
Jaguar Health, Inc.
phodge@jaguar.health
Jaguar-JAGX
SOURCE: Jaguar Health, Inc.
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