Zogenix Appoints Three Industry Leaders to Its Board of Directors

Rhea-AI Summary

Zogenix (Nasdaq: ZGNX) has announced the appointment of three new members—Caroline M. Loewy, Mary E. Stutts, and Denelle J. Waynick—to its Board of Directors, expanding the board to 10 members, with 9 being independent. The new directors bring extensive experience in biopharmaceuticals, patient advocacy, and corporate communications. Their expertise is expected to support Zogenix's growth as a commercial-stage rare disease company, particularly in developing therapies like their approved drug, FINTEPLA, for severe childhood epilepsy.

Positive

• Addition of three experienced board members enhances strategic leadership.
• New members bring expertise in biopharmaceuticals and patient advocacy.

Negative

• None.

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Sept. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zogenix (Nasdaq: ZGNX), a global biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing rare disease therapies, today announced the appointments of Caroline M. Loewy, Mary E. Stutts and Denelle J. Waynick to newly created seats on its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Zogenix’s Board now includes 10 members, nine of whom are independent.

“We are delighted to welcome Ms. Loewy, Ms. Stutts and Ms. Waynick to our Board of Directors,” said Cam L. Garner, Chairman of the Board. “Their combined decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and extensive knowledge in the areas of patient and rare disease advocacy, investor relations, corporate communications, public affairs, international operations, and legal affairs will prove invaluable to our team as Zogenix continues to evolve as a commercial-stage rare disease company. We look forward to their strategic insights and contributions to our long-term growth initiatives.”

Caroline M. Loewy

Ms. Loewy has more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and currently serves as a strategic business and financial advisor to life science companies. She has held numerous executive roles throughout her career, most recently as co-founder, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. Prior to Achieve Life Sciences, Ms. Loewy served as Chief Financial Officer of Tobira Therapeutics, Corcept Therapeutics and Poniard Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in her career, Ms. Loewy was Executive Director of Biotechnology Equity Research at Morgan Stanley and served as Managing Director of Biotechnology Equity Research at Prudential Securities. She began her career as a financial analyst at BankAmerica Corporation.

Ms. Loewy serves on the Boards of Directors of PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Aptose Biosciences and CymaBay Therapeutics. She is a founding board member of the Global Genes Project, a leading rare disease patient advocacy organization, a member of the Steering Committee of the Forum for Collaborative Research in Rare Diseases, and a co-founder of KCNQ2 Cure Alliance, a non-profit advancing research for the rare disease KCNQ2 epileptic encephalopathy. Ms. Loewy holds an M.B.A. and M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mary E. Stutts

Ms. Stutts is a seasoned healthcare and brand management executive with over 25 years of experience. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations at Sumitovant Biopharma, a global biopharmaceutical company, where she is responsible for leading the strategic integration of corporate branding, digital innovation, communications, patient advocacy and inclusive diversity. Prior to Sumitovant, Ms. Stutts served as Chief Inclusion, Diversity & Health Equity Officer at Stanford Health Care. Prior to that role, she served as Vice President, External Affairs, at Comcast NBCUniversal from, and has provided global corporate relations leadership in roles in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare and media industries, at companies including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Elan, UnitedHealth Group Genentech, Bayer Corporation, and Kaiser Permanente.

Ms. Stutts serves as Board Chair for Zelot, a startup digital entertainment company, and serves on the Advisory Boards of private companies, Wellist, Slone Partners and WorldWideWomen.com. She earned a master’s degree in Health Administration at the University of Southern California, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana, and is also a graduate of the Executive Program on Strategy and Organization at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Denelle J. Waynick

Ms. Waynick has more than 25 years of experience as a legal and strategic advisor across multiple sectors, including the biopharmaceutical industry. She currently serves as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of MyoKardia. Previously, she served as Vice President, Legal Affairs (U.S.), U.S. General Counsel & Head of Global Enterprise Risk Management at UCB. During her tenure at UCB, Ms. Waynick relocated to UCB’s headquarters in Belgium for a year where she provided counsel to the global business units, including commercial operations, R&D, and the regulatory team. Prior to UCB, Ms. Waynick oversaw legal operations as Vice President, Legal Affairs, Global Brands at Actavis, Inc. (now AbbVie) and as Legal Director at Schering-Plough (now Merck). In addition to her roles as in-house counsel, Ms. Waynick was Chief of Staff for the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General.

Ms. Waynick serves on the Board of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law and received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Newark.

About Zogenix

Zogenix is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapies with the potential to transform the lives of patients and their families living with rare diseases. The company’s first rare disease therapy, FINTEPLA^® (fenfluramine) oral solution, C-IV has been approved by the U.S. FDA, is under review in Europe, and is in development in Japan for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome, a rare, severe childhood onset epilepsy. FINTEPLA is also in development for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, another rare childhood-onset epilepsy. Through its subsidiary Modis Therapeutics, Zogenix is also developing MT1621, an investigational novel substrate enhancement therapy for the treatment of TK2 deficiency, a rare genetic disorder.

CONTACTS:

Zogenix
Melinda Baker
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
+1 (510) 788-8732
corpcomms@zogenix.com

Investors
Brian Ritchie
Managing Director, LifeSci Advisors LLC
+1 (212) 915-2578
britchie@lifesciadvisors.com

Media
Stefanie Tuck
Vice President, Porter Novelli
+1 (978) 390-1394
stefanie.tuck@porternovelli.com

FAQ

What new appointments did Zogenix announce on September 21, 2020?

Zogenix announced the appointment of Caroline M. Loewy, Mary E. Stutts, and Denelle J. Waynick to its Board of Directors.

How many members are currently on Zogenix's Board of Directors?

Zogenix's Board of Directors now has 10 members, with 9 of them being independent.

What is the background of Caroline M. Loewy?

Caroline M. Loewy has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and was previously CFO and co-founder of Achieve Life Sciences.

What expertise does Mary E. Stutts bring to Zogenix?

Mary E. Stutts has over 25 years in healthcare and brand management, currently serving as SVP of Corporate Relations at Sumitovant Biopharma.

What role does Denelle J. Waynick play in Zogenix?

Denelle J. Waynick joins Zogenix's Board bringing over 25 years of legal expertise in the biopharmaceutical industry, most recently as General Counsel at MyoKardia.