Acer Therapeutics Announces Promotion of Tanya Hayden to Chief Operating Officer

NEWTON, Mass., June 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acer Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ACER), a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of therapies for serious rare and life-threatening diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced the promotion of Tanya Hayden to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Harry S. Palmin, who had been serving as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer as well as its Chief Financial Officer, will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.

In her new role as COO, Ms. Hayden will have primary responsibility for supporting operational and commercial growth and effectiveness, as well as establishing, improving, and scaling the company’s executional operations. Ms. Hayden joined Acer in June 2021 as Vice President of Program and Strategic Alliance Management and has played a critical role in the advancement of Acer’s investigational programs, including the Company’s ongoing preparations for the potential commercial launch of ACER-001 (sodium phenylbutyrate) for treatment of urea cycle disorders (UCDs), and management of its strategic collaborations. Ms. Hayden will continue to oversee program and strategic alliance management responsibilities in her new role as COO.

“Tanya’s leadership and strategic oversight of Acer’s commercial and operational readiness in preparation for our potential commercial approval and launch of ACER-001 in UCDs, along with her role in the clinical advancement of our product candidates, has been instrumental in shaping our growth in the last year,” stated Chris Schelling, CEO and Founder of Acer. “Tanya’s deep expertise in, and responsibility for, drug development and delivery, clinical and commercial contract manufacturing, and alliance management, will be instrumental in our future growth as our ACER-001, ACER-801 and EDSIVO (celiprolol) programs continue to advance toward key near-term milestones throughout the rest of 2022.”

Prior to joining Acer, Ms. Hayden spent 20-years at Lonza (formerly Bend Research/Capsugel) and was responsible for business unit planning, operational excellence, clinical and commercial contract manufacturing, and program management. Throughout her career, Ms. Hayden has had the opportunity to lead internal cross-functional teams to introduce new capabilities and improve performance, as well as collaborate with external partners to advance new products to the market. Ms. Hayden received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Gonzaga University.