Insmed Incorporated (Nasdaq: INSM), a global biopharmaceutical company on a mission to transform the lives of patients with serious and rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Clarissa Desjardins, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Desjardins has more than 20 years of leadership experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and research, and currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Clementia Pharmaceuticals Inc., recently acquired by Ipsen S.A.
Insmed also announced the promotion of Roger Adsett, the Company's Chief Commercial Officer, to Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. In addition to his current responsibilities, Mr. Adsett will now assume responsibility for Insmed's overall business operations on a global basis in this newly created role. Mr. Adsett will continue to report to Will Lewis, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Insmed.
"Insmed is accelerating its efforts to bring ARIKAYCE® to patients around the world. In order to accomplish this and continue to develop our pipeline, we are making the appropriate leadership and related changes to enhance our global operations. At the Board level, this means adding individuals with exceptional talent and skill sets to help advise and direct management on this journey. We are thrilled with the addition of Clarissa to our Board of Directors. Clarissa brings over two decades of scientific and industry experience across multiple functional roles, including therapeutic product development, finance, business development and intellectual property management to our Board," said Will Lewis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Insmed.
"I'm excited to join the Board at this important point in Insmed's evolution into a global commercial organization," said Dr. Desjardins. "I believe my industry experience and expertise in rare diseases will serve the Company well as we work to advance Insmed's mission to transform the lives of patients with serious and rare diseases. I look forward to working with the Insmed management team and other Board members going forward."
Since founding Clementia in 2011, Dr. Desjardins has served as the company's Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Clementia, she was Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors at the Centre of Excellence in Personalized Medicine (CEPMED), a Montreal-based federally and privately funded non-profit enterprise created to promote personalized medicine. In 1998, Dr. Desjardins co-founded Caprion Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on proteomic biomarker discovery and drug development, where she was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and served on the board of directors. Dr. Desjardins also founded Advanced Bioconcept, a research reagent and diagnostics company, in 1992, which was sold to NEN Life Sciences (since acquired by PerkinElmer) in 1998. Dr. Desjardins earned a doctorate in neurology and neurosurgery from McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and was a Medical Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre at McGill University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for BELLUS Health Inc.
"In addition to enhancing our Board of Directors, I am also excited to expand the responsibilities of Roger Adsett through his appointment to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. Roger has shown tremendous leadership during our first year of commercial launch in the U.S. while also leading the effort to establish the key elements of our global infrastructure. In his new role, he will now be able to direct on a comprehensive basis the advancement of ARIKAYCE and our pipeline products through development, and potential approval and commercial launch in all regions.
I am also pleased to announce the promotion of Drayton Wise to SVP, Head of United States which will enable him to further oversee the continued success of ARIKAYCE. As General Manager worldwide for this product, Drayton has played a pivotal role in the successful commercial launch of ARIKAYCE, and in his new role he will have the ability to replicate the elements of that successful launch and apply them to our pipeline products," said Will Lewis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Insmed.
About Insmed
Insmed Incorporated is a global biopharmaceutical company on a mission to transform the lives of patients with serious and rare diseases. Insmed's first commercial product, ARIKAYCE® (amikacin liposome inhalation suspension), is the first and only therapy approved in the United States for the treatment of refractory Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease as part of a combination antibacterial drug regimen for adult patients with limited or no alternative treatment options. MAC lung disease is a chronic, debilitating condition that can cause severe and permanent lung damage. Insmed's earlier-stage clinical pipeline includes INS1007, a novel oral reversible inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase 1 with therapeutic potential in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and other inflammatory diseases, and INS1009, an inhaled formulation of a treprostinil prodrug that may offer a differentiated product profile for rare pulmonary disorders, including pulmonary arterial hypertension. For more information, visit www.insmed.com.
