Cerecor, announced that its board of directors has appointed Peter Greenleaf as CEO. Greenleaf has served on the company's board since May 2017.
He brings to Cerecor more than two decades of biopharmaceutical experience, having most recently served as chairman and CEO of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and led the company's acquisition by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals for $1.2 billion.
Throughout his career, Greenleaf has demonstrated a track record for creating shareholder value through solid commercial execution and efficient drug development.
"Peter and I began this journey together about 10 months ago," said Steven Boyd, Director of Cerecor and Chief Investment Officer of its majority stockholder, Armistice Capital.
"I could not think of a better leader to take Cerecor to the next level. Greenleaf has successfully executed a hybrid strategy of specialty pharmaceutical and biotech. His pediatric commercial experience and orphan drug development expertise are perfectly suited to Cerecor's strategy. I look forward to working closely with him to create value for patients, our employees and shareholders."
Peter Greenleaf added: "Cerecor is experiencing a time of rapid growth and I intend to integrate its base businesses while building the people, processes, and culture necessary to succeed in today's pharmaceutical industry."
"With untapped opportunities for growth in the pediatric business plus a diverse pipeline of novel product candidates in orphan and specialty indications, I believe Cerecor's platform is poised for success. I intend to aggressively build upon its foundation both organically and inorganically. I want to thank the Board for this appointment and am excited to be part of Cerecor during this time."
Greenleaf has served on the Cerecor Board since May 2017 and will remain on the board going forward. Because he will be an employee of the company, he is stepping off the Audit and Compensation Committees.
Independent Directors Isaac Blech and Phil Gutry will take his place on those committees, respectively.
Until February 2018, Greenleaf served as Chairman and CEO of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, positions he held since March 2014. Sucampo was focused on the development and commercialisation of medicines to meet major unmet medical needs of patients worldwide and was sold in February 2018 to Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
Cerecor also announced that Robert Moscato, the company's President and Chief Operating Officer, has resigned. "We thank Rob for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors," said Dr Uli Hacksell, chairman of the board.
