REHOVOT, Israel, Aug. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pharma Two B Ltd., a privately held company developing innovative therapeutics based on previously approved drugs for Parkinson disease (PD), today announced the appointment of Jeffrey Berkowitz as Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Berkowitz brings decades of experience in the global healthcare supply chain, having previously held executive committee and other senior operating roles at UnitedHealth Group, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Merck and Schering-Plough.
“I am delighted to welcome Jeff as Chairman of Pharma Two B’s Board of Directors,” said Dr. Sheila Oren, M.D., M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Pharma Two B. “He has a strong track record of building strategic businesses, teams and partnerships within the healthcare sector and the contributions he made in his numerous roles consistently resulted in profitability and sustainable growth. Jeff’s broad experience will be especially significant as we work to complete clinical development and regulatory submissions of P2B001 and prepare to make the product available to Parkinson’s patients, once approved.”
Mr. Berkowitz commented, "I am impressed by Pharma Two B’s progress to date and honored to be appointed as Chairman. The company’s late stage asset P2B001 has the potential to be a highly effective treatment, with favorable safety profile, differentiated especially for newly diagnosed and early-stage PD patients. I look forward to working closely with Sheila and the rest of the Board and contributing to the company's future success."
Jeff Berkowitz is an accomplished healthcare executive with extensive global pharmaceutical, pharmacy, payor and distribution leadership experience in senior executive P&L accountable roles. He is currently the CEO of Real Endpoints, a leading boutique life science consultancy and technology platform focused on market access. Prior to Real Endpoints, Mr. Berkowitz served as an Executive Vice President of UnitedHealth Group/Optum where he was CEO of Optum’s London-based International division and led strategy for the pharmacy benefit management division, OptumRx. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group/Optum, he was instrumental in the formation and management of the Walgreens Boots Alliance Development, GmbH, a joint venture company between Walgreens and Alliance Boots overseeing relationships with branded and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers. Before joining Walgreens in 2010, Mr. Berkowitz was Senior Vice President of global market access for Merck & Company, Inc. From 1998 to 2009, he was employed at Schering-Plough, starting in the legal department and then holding a variety of positions with increasing responsibility in market access, sales and marketing prior to Schering-Plough‘s acquisition by Merck in 2009. His tenure there culminated in his role as Group Vice President of diversified products and global market access. Earlier in his career, Mr. Berkowitz was a health care attorney for the international law firm Proskauer LLP in New York and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Berkowitz serves on the board of directors of several publicly traded healthcare companies including Lundbeck A/S, Esperion Therapeutics, Uniphar and Zealand Pharmaceuticals. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce and Infinity Pharmaceuticals. He has been recognized three times in the Top 100 Most Inspiring in the Life Sciences by PharmaVoice Magazine. Mr. Berkowitz holds a B.A. from Union College and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
About Pharma Two B
Pharma Two B is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that is developing differentiated and value-added products, based on reformulation of previously approved drugs. The Company’s aim is to improve efficacy, safety and delivery profiles by addressing unmet medical needs and decreasing the timeline to FDA approval via the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. The Company’s lead product P2B001 is being investigated as treatment for early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD). P2B001 once daily, no titration, rasagiline and pramipexole both extended-released formulation obtained good clinical efficacy with a low risk of side effects, as shown in a Phase II clinical trial. P2B001 Phase III clinical trial is currently ongoing. Pharma Two B is led by highly experienced team, supported by prominent scientific and clinical key opinion leaders, and backed by a dedicated group of investors. For more information, please visit: www.pharma2b.com.
Contact:
Irit Aish
Vice President, Commercial and Business Development
irita@Pharma2b.com
U.S. investor contact
Bob Yedid
LifeSci Advisors LLC
646-597-6989
bob@lifesciadvisors.com
