Neuvivo Launches to Develop and Market Effective and Safe Treatments for ALS

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuvivo, Inc., a company developing clinical-stage treatments for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, today announced its corporate launch, the expansion of its executive team and the creation of its Scientific Advisory Board.  Neuvivo's lead candidate, NP001, has received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation by the FDA for use in ALS.  The company's near-term mission is to progress this candidate toward approval and deliver it to patients to reduce the suffering caused by this devastating disease. 

Neuvivo is bringing together a powerhouse team to carry forward its mission, including seasoned industry executives, clinicians, and pioneer scientists with extensive backgrounds in ALS research and multiple product approval successes.

"Our Scientific Advisory Board has some of the world's leading ALS scientists and clinicians who will help us achieve our goals, and we are excited to add executives to our management team who have extensive experience in achieving approvals for new drugs," said Neuvivo founder and CEO, Ari Azhir, PhD.  "We are pleased to be working with the FDA and are doing all in our power to be responsive to the needs of ALS patients and patient advocates to provide a safer and significantly more effective ALS treatment."

"NP001 is a first in class NCE and an entirely new approach to treating ALS," said co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Michael McGrath, MD, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at UCSF.  "We know now that chronic inflammation is a key factor in the loss of motor neuron function in ALS.  NP001's mechanism of action targets macrophages to reduce inflammation and restore immune system equilibrium." 

Current research points to compromised macrophage function as a critical factor in many CNS diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, suggesting that small molecule NP001 could potentially be used as a treatment for other diseases. 

Founding Executive Team

• Ari Azhir, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Founder (Roche, Intermune, BD, Neuraltus)
• Michael McGrath, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Founder (Stanford, UCSF, Neuraltus)
• Bruce D. Forrest, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer (Wyeth, Pfizer, Chiron)
• Jack D. Love, PhD, Head of Regulatory Affairs (Wyeth, Pfizer)
• Marc Cooley, MBA, Head of Commercial Operations (Sanofi, Wyeth, Merck)
• Paula Keith, PhD, Head of GMP Operations (Wyeth, Novartis)
• Jennifer Larson, Head of Communications (Chiron, Novartis)

Founding Scientific Advisory Board

• Robert Miller, MD, FAAN - Clinical Professor of Neurology and Neurosciences at Stanford Medical School and Director of the Forbes Norris ALS Research Center at California Pacific Medical Center
• Jeremy Shefner, MD, PhD - Kemper and Ethel Marley Professor and Chair of Neurology, Senior Vice President, Barrow Neurological Institute, Executive Chair of Neurology, University of Arizona, Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Research, Barrow and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Chair of Neurology Creighton University School of Medicine in Arizona.

About Neuvivo: Neuvivo is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on creating and delivering advanced treatments for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.  The company was formed by successful industry leaders and scientists, committed to improving the prognosis for patients diagnosed with ALS and a range of diseases for which few current treatment options exist.  For more information please visit: www.Neuvivo.com.

Neuvivo Contact:

Jennifer Larson
415 409 2729
[email protected]

SOURCE Neuvivo, Inc.