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Will oversee the clinical development and regulatory submissions for company’s extensive pipeline, including two late-stage programs for the treatment of central nervous system disorders

BOSTON – February 20, 2019 – Cerevel Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines to treat disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), today announced that it has appointed veteran CNS medicines developer Raymond Sanchez, M.D. as chief medical officer. Dr. Sanchez will oversee the clinical development of the company’s pipeline, including late-stage programs being investigated as potential treatments for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, respectively.

“Dr. Sanchez has a proven track record overseeing the successful clinical development of several important CNS therapies such as Rexulti^® and Abilify^® that resulted in global regulatory approvals in multiple indications and formulations for these drugs,” said Tony Coles, M.D., executive chairman of Cerevel Therapeutics. “His breadth of experience in clinical development, medical affairs and life-cycle management makes Ray the ideal leader to drive Cerevel Therapeutics’ pipeline programs, which are aimed at making meaningful improvements in the lives of people with devastating CNS disorders.

“As the global population gets older and the prevalence of age-related CNS disorders—like Parkinson’s disease—continues to increase, finding safe and effective treatments that significantly impact patients’ health and improves their symptoms is critical,” said Dr. Sanchez. “I look forward to working with the team to advance Cerevel’s promising pipeline during this formative time in the company’s lifespan.”

About Dr. Sanchez

Dr. Sanchez joins Cerevel Therapeutics from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC), where he most recently served as senior vice president, global clinical development and was also appointed as chief medical officer of Avanir Pharmaceuticals during the last half of his 11-year tenure at Otsuka. In his role at OPDC, Dr. Sanchez was responsible for the oversight of the company’s CNS, oncology, and cardio-renal development portfolio, managing early-stage development through post-marketing commitments for all programs under his purview. Previously, Dr. Sanchez served in leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Purdue Pharma. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University and his medical degree from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern. He completed his residency training and fellowship in psychiatry at the Yale University Medical School, where he was also an instructor.

Dr. Sanchez is currently the executive co-chair of the International Society for CNS Drug Development (ISCDD) and trustee, member of the board of directors for the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation, Yale School of Medicine, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations. Throughout his career, Dr. Sanchez has authored dozens of publications in leading medical journals and received many honors and awards for his leadership and commitment to the advancement of medicine.

About Cerevel Therapeutics

Cerevel Therapeutics (cereveldev.wpengine.com) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines to treat disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). The company has a portfolio of neuroscience assets, which include three clinical-stage compounds and several pre-clinical compounds designed to target a broad range of CNS disorders including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, schizophrenia and addiction. Headquartered in the Greater Boston area, Cerevel was formed in 2018 through a partnership between Bain Capital and Pfizer.

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Rachel Eides
W2O pure
reides@purecommunications.com