Spruce Biosciences Appoints David Moriarty, Ph.D., as Vice President of Development Operations

SAN FRANCISCO, July 17, 2018   /PRNewswire/ -- Spruce Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies for rare endocrine disorders, today announced the appointment of David Moriarty, Ph.D., as Vice President of Development Operations. 

David Moriarty joins Spruce Biosciences' management team

"David brings extensive experience in clinical research and operations to Spruce at the exact time we need it," said Alexis Howerton, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Spruce Biosciences. "We are currently advancing our lead clinical product candidate, SPR001, through Phase 2 clinical trials. As we continue to progress the program, we will rely on David's operational expertise, which includes leading clinical operations and driving multiple clinical programs at large pharmaceutical companies that ultimately led to product approvals. We are excited to add David to our team as we move toward initiating pivotal clinical studies and bringing the potentially first approved therapy for congenital adrenal hyperplasia to patients."

Spruce is currently enrolling patients in its SPR001 Phase 2 trial and has active sites in San Diego, CA, Orange, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Atlanta, GA, Indianapolis, IN, Minneapolis, MN, Philadelphia, PA and Melbourne, FL. Earlier this year, Spruce also launched its CAH Natural History Study to enable patients with CAH to contribute their experiences to advance knowledge of the disease, including its management and treatment.

Unlike many other rare diseases, CAH is part of the newborn screening program and is highly identifiable. There are currently no FDA-approved therapies for CAH, which is caused by genetic mutations resulting in the inability to produce cortisol, the critical 'stress' hormone. The most common form of CAH, 21 hydroxylase deficiency, affects approximately 1 in 10,00 to 15,000 people in the United States.

Prior to joining Spruce, Dr. Moriarty served as Vice President of Clinical Operations and Data Management at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he assembled a successful clinical operations, data management and strategic outsourcing team delivering multiple submissions in hematology/oncology and sleep medicine, leading to approvals for Defitelio and Vxyeos. Before Jazz, he was responsible for leading clinical operations in different Janssen Pharmaceutical Alzheimer's Disease late development clinical programs over several years. Earlier at Janssen, formerly Tibotec Therapeutics, he held clinical operations roles leading to the approved HIV therapies of Prezista and Edurant. Dr. Moriarty also previously held positions of increasing responsibility at PPD, a global CRO, working primarily on the late development work of Humira for Abbott Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Moriarty earned a B.Sc. in Neuroscience from University of Central Lancashire and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Manchester.

"I am pleased to join the talented team at Spruce with the objective of developing a new, effective therapy that will potentially benefit patients with CAH," said Moriarty. "I am looking forward to leveraging my experience as a clinical development leader of now-approved products through the clinical trial process on behalf of Spruce, as the company advances its lead program in CAH."   

Spruce is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of SPR001 in adults with classic CAH. For more information on Spruce Biosciences and its lead clinical program for CAH, please visit sprucebiosciences.com.

About Spruce Biosciences
Spruce Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies for rare endocrine disorders. The Spruce team is leveraging their extensive expertise in endocrinology and orphan drug development to meet the significant unmet need of patients suffering from rare endocrine diseases. Spruce's lead product candidate, SPR001, has a novel and clinically verified mechanism of action (MOA) and is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a rare disease that is screened in newborns and for which there is not yet an FDA-approved therapy. The Company is headquartered in San Francisco and closed a Series A Financing of $20 million in 2016. For more information on Spruce, please visit sprucebiosciences.com.

SOURCE Spruce Biosciences

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