VANCOUVER, British Columbia and BOSTON, Aug. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:XENE), a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering life-changing therapeutics for patients in need, today announced the appointment of Matthew D. Ronsheim, Ph.D. as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Xenon senior executive team. In this new role, Dr. Ronsheim will lead Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), Program Management and Quality Assurance and as a member of the senior executive team will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for the Company’s pipeline of small molecule programs with a focus on preparation for the commercial launch of azetukalner.

“Matt joins Xenon at an exciting time of growth where his extensive operational, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing expertise will help support the advancement of our Phase 3 epilepsy and MDD programs, planning for regulatory submissions and commercialization, while also progressing our broad portfolio of pre-clinical assets that will fuel future growth,” stated Ian Mortimer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Xenon.

Dr. Ronsheim has 25 years of experience bringing important medicines from discovery through clinical development, global regulatory filings and approvals, and commercial launch and supply. Before joining Xenon, Dr. Ronsheim was President of Innoviva Specialty Therapeutics, having previously served as their Chief Technical Officer. Prior to this, Dr. Ronsheim was President of Entasis Therapeutics, which was acquired by Innoviva, Inc. in 2022. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles overseeing research, CMC, pharmaceutical development, and commercialization at companies including Merck/Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Forest Laboratories. Dr. Ronsheim’s industry contributions and leadership have contributed to delivering important therapies across several disease areas including central nervous system disorders. Dr. Ronsheim holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Southern Connecticut State University and a Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of New Hampshire.

“I am thrilled to join Xenon to support the future development and commercialization of azetukalner given its compelling profile in both epilepsy and depression with a broad Phase 3 program underway,” said Dr. Matt Ronsheim, Chief Operating Officer of Xenon. “I am also excited about the opportunity to deliver on Xenon’s promise of a next-generation ion channel modulators with the advancement of multiple Kv7, Nav1.7 and Nav1.1 molecules creating opportunities for development across a broad range of CNS indications.”

About Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:XENE) is a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of people living with neurological and psychiatric disorders. We are advancing a novel product pipeline to address areas of high unmet medical need, including epilepsy and depression. Azetukalner, our lead Kv7 channel opener, represents the most advanced, clinically validated potassium channel modulator in late-stage clinical development for multiple indications. For more information, please visit www.xenon-pharma.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical fact, and include statements regarding the timing of and potential results from clinical trials; the potential efficacy, safety profile, future development plans in current and anticipated indications, addressable market, regulatory success and commercial potential of our and our partners’ product candidates; the efficacy of our clinical trial designs; our ability to successfully develop and achieve milestones in our azetukalner and other pipeline and development programs; our ability to successfully develop and obtain regulatory approval of azetukalner and our other product candidates. These forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, events, or developments to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, include, but are not limited to: clinical trials may not demonstrate safety and efficacy of any of our or our collaborators’ product candidates; promising results from pre-clinical development activities or early clinical trial results may not be replicated in later clinical trials; our assumptions regarding our planned expenditures and sufficiency of our cash to fund operations may be incorrect; our ongoing discovery and pre-clinical efforts may not yield additional product candidates; any of our or our collaborators’ product candidates, including azetukalner, may fail in development, may not receive required regulatory approvals, or may be delayed to a point where they are not commercially viable; we may not achieve additional milestones in our proprietary or partnered programs; regulatory agencies may impose additional requirements or delay the initiation of clinical trials; the impact of market, industry, and regulatory conditions on clinical trial enrollment; the impact of competition; the impact of expanded product development and clinical activities on operating expenses; the impact of new or changing laws and regulations; as well as the other risks identified in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the securities commissions in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

“Xenon” and the Xenon logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. in various jurisdictions. All other trademarks belong to their respective owner.

Contacts:
For Investors:
Chad Fugere
Vice President, Investor Relations
(857) 675-7275
investors@xenon-pharma.com

For Media:
Colleen Alabiso
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs
(617) 671-9238
media@xenon-pharma.com