"Dr. Van Voorhees is a highly accomplished CFO with extensive experience in corporate finance, capital markets, investment banking and licensing. His appointment comes at an important time for our Company, as we are focusing our resources principally on our psychiatry franchise. His financial and scientific expertise will be instrumental in helping us to continue to grow the Company," said Robert Besthof, Interim Chief Executive Officer of NRx Pharmaceuticals. "We are grateful to Ira Strassberg for his important contributions to the Company since last August, including the establishment of robust internal controls and the further build-up of our finance and accounting function at the Company."
"I am pleased to join NRx Pharmaceuticals at this exciting stage, as the Company is focusing principally on the development of NRX-101, its Breakthrough Designation Therapy for Severe Bipolar Depression in patients with Acute Suicidal Ideation and Behavior (ASIB). Its scientific platform creates attractive opportunities to address the very high unmet need of treating bipolar depression in patients with suicidality, as well as other psychiatric disorders. Up to 50% of individuals with bipolar disorder attempt suicide over their lifetime, and patients with bipolar depression and suicidality have traditionally been excluded from clinical studies. The Company is already enrolling patients in a Phase II trial studying patients with bipolar depression and sub-acute suicidality (not requiring hospitalization) and plans to initiate a Phase IIb/III registrational trial in patients with bipolar depression and ASIB (requiring hospitalization) later this year," said Dr. Van Voorhees.
Dr. Van Voorhees most recently served as CFO of PDS Biotechnology during which he completed several financing transactions in 2021. Prior to joining PDS Biotechnology, he spent 10 years as the CFO for Research Frontiers and for American Pacific. Earlier in his career, Dr. Van Voorhees worked in investment banking supporting chemical/pharmaceutical clients at Merrill Lynch, UBS Warburg, and Wasserstein Perella. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University.
Source: NRx Pharmaceuticals
