Cerecor and Aevi Genomic Medicine Complete Merger - Seite 3

Prior to becoming the Chief Medical Officer at Cerecor, Dr. Garry Neil served as Chief Scientific Officer of Aevi Genomic Medicine since September 2013. Prior to joining Aevi Genomic Medicine, Dr. Neil held a number of senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry, academia and venture capital. These include Corporate VP of Science & Technology at Johnson & Johnson, and Group President at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, VP of R&D at Merck KGaA/EMD Pharmaceuticals, VP of Clinical Research at Astra Zeneca and Astra Merck. Dr. Neil holds a B.S. from the University of Saskatchewan and an M.D. from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine. He completed his postdoctoral clinical training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Neil also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic. He is the Founding Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Industry R&D Consortium, TransCelerate Biopharmaceuticals Inc.  He also serves on the Boards of Arena Pharmaceuticals, the Reagan Udall Foundation and the Center for Discovery and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health.  He is past Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) Science and Regulatory Executive Committee and the PhRMA Foundation Board.  He is a past member of the Boards of GTx Pharmaceuticals, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), and the Science Management Review Board of the NIH.

Additionally, Mr. Cola and Dr. Sol J. Barer will be joining the Board of Directors during the first quarter of 2020.  Dr. Barer’s long career as a senior pharmaceutical executive with leadership roles in various biopharmaceutical companies, coupled with his experience and knowledge of the global pharmaceutical industry and extensive scientific expertise will be a valuable addition to the Cerecor Board of Directors.

The independent directors of the Board approved, pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), the grant of inducement equity awards in the form of stock options to Mr. Cola to purchase 1.2 million shares of common stock, to Dr. Neil to purchase 800,000 shares of common stock and to Dr. Jeffery Wilkins, our new Chief Development Officer, to purchase 375,000 shares of common stock.  Each inducement option grant will vest over four years, with the first 25% of such option vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant, and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments, subject to the continued service of Mr. Cola, Dr. Neil, or Dr. Wilkins respectively, through the applicable vesting date.