Seelos Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SEEL) announced Tuesday that long-time industry veteran Scott Applebaum has joined its team as a lead strategic regulatory consultant.
Applebaum has more than two decades of experience working with public and private companies handling regulatory matters with the US Food and Drug Administration and international regulatory agencies, global drug launches, company-wide corporate and legal affairs and merger and acquisition activities, the biopharmaceutical company said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to have Scott join the Seelos team as lead strategic regulatory consultant,” said CEO Raj Mehra. “His extensive experience navigating the global regulatory process and overseeing successful global drug launches will make him a major asset for us.”
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Applebaum most recently served as president of privately-owned Context Therapeutics and general counsel and secretary at Vitae Pharmaceuticals.
At Vitae, he worked closely with the CEO and the board on the successful sale of the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company to Allergan (NYSE:AGN) for $639 million, a 159% premium to its then publicly-traded market value. Prior to those roles, he served as corporate secretary for Medgenics Inc, a clinical-stage, publicly-traded biotech company and he spent 10 years at Shire Pharmaceuticals.
During his tenure at Shire, Applebaum helped to build the company’s global central nervous system-focused footprint where he led the strategy and execution of its legal, regulatory, and commercial functions. He held several senior roles at Shire including general manager of International ADHD, global head of regulatory affairs and global neuroscience business unit head.
Before Shire, for seven years he also had roles of increasing responsibility in the legal department of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY).
“I am excited to work with Raj and the top-notch team he has assembled at Seelos,” Applebaum said. “I look forward to helping them advance their encouraging pipeline of programs focused on unmet needs in CNS disorders and rare diseases."
Applebaum earned a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars and is a certified public accountant.
Seelos is focused on the development and advancement of novel therapeutics to address unmet medical needs for the benefit of patients with central nervous system disorders and other rare disorders.
The New York-based company's portfolio includes several late-stage clinical assets targeting psychiatric and movement disorders, including orphan diseases.
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