John Krayacich joins Marinus Pharmaceuticals

Marinus Pharmaceuticals, a US developer of specialty therapeutics to treat serious neurological, psychiatric and pain disorders, has appointed John Krayacich as president and chief executive officer.

He will be responsible for leading the company's drug and business development for ganaxolone, an adult and pediatric epilepsy candidate in Phase II, and chelerythrine, a pre-clinical schizophrenia candidate. Krayacich brings more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical product development with 13 years focused on neuroscience diseases to the Brandford-based company in Connecticut.

Most recently, he was with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation where he served as global program head for the antidepressant agomelatine, and vice president and global head of neuroscience project management.

"We are pleased that John is taking the helm at Marinus, particularly at such a crucial stage of development of the company's lead compound, ganaxolone, a new class of epilepsy treatment," said Stephen Bloch, chair of the board of directors and general partner of Canaan Partners - one of Marinus" investors. "Marinus has developed an innovative formulation of ganaxolone which we believe sets a foundation for positive clinical outcomes and makes Marinus an exciting investment opportunity."

Prior to Novartis, Krayacich was vice president of worldwide neurology marketing with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group, and Parke-Davis Global Marketing Planning (Atherosclerosis). He was actively involved in the development, strategic marketing planning and/or launch of more than seven neuroscience and cardiovascular compounds including Lipitor(R), Neurontin(R), Lyrica(R), Rebif(R) and the Exelon(R) patch. He has led teams involved in the development and marketing of products for epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, neuropathic pain, depression, anxiety, Multiple Sclerosis and bipolar disorder.

"I am thrilled to join the Marinus team and to shepherd the company's promising compounds through clinical development and closer to commercialisation," said Krayacich. "I have committed my career to the development of novel therapies that address unmet patient needs and I'm excited about the innovative candidates in the Marinus pipeline."

Marinus Pharmaceuticals is a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company that is dedicated to the identification, development, and commercialization of novel drugs to treat serious neurological, psychiatric and pain disorders. Its lead compound, ganaxolone, is a synthetic analog of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (3a,5a-P), a metabolite of progesterone.

It is currently being investigated in a Phase IIb clinical trial as a potential treatment of epilepsy in children (infantile spasms) and complex partial seizures in adults. Chelerythrine is currently in pre-clinical development for the treatment of bipolar disorder and the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Marinus' investors include Domain Associates, Canaan Partners, Sofinnova Ventures and Foundation Medical Partners.