NewAmsterdam Pharma Announces Appointment of William “BJ” Jones, formerly of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, as Chief Commercial Officer

NAARDEN, The Netherlands and MIAMI, Aug. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewAmsterdam Pharma Company N.V. (Nasdaq: NAMS or “NewAmsterdam” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral, non-statin medicines for patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease with residual elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (“LDL-C”), for whom existing therapies are not sufficiently effective or well-tolerated, today announced the appointment of William “BJ” Jones as the Company’s first Chief Commercial Officer (“CCO”), effective August 14, 2023. Mr. Jones brings 30 years of commercial and launch experience in the U.S. and globally, with particular experience in driving mass market product launch strategies for industry-leading brands. At NewAmsterdam, he will build and lead all commercial functions, including marketing, market access, sales, medical science engagement and commercial operations.

“We are delighted to welcome BJ to our team. With obicetrapib progressing through pivotal Phase 3 development, now is the right time to begin building a powerful commercial organization, with the potential to deliver our oral, low-dose, once-daily CETP inhibitor, if approved, to the millions of dyslipidemia patients globally in need of better options,” said Dr. Michael Davidson, M.D., President & Chief Executive Officer. “BJ is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of building commercial organizations, developing strategic and creative go-to-market strategies, and launching industry-leading products in mass markets, including in the cardiovascular disease space. We believe BJ’s expertise uniquely complements our existing team, and we look forward to his leadership as we mature NewAmsterdam into a fully integrated company and work to ultimately deliver on the promise of CETP inhibition to address major unmet needs across cardiometabolic diseases.”

Mr. Jones joins NewAmsterdam with three decades of commercial and launch experience in both large pharmaceutical and small biotech companies. Most recently, he served as CCO, Migraine & Common Diseases at Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Pfizer for $11.6B. During his tenure, Mr. Jones led the commercial enterprise that launched Biohaven’s Nurtec ODT. Earlier in his career, Mr. Jones held leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim and NitroMed, during which time he supported mass market product launches for notable brands including Excedrin Migraine, Farxiga, Pradaxa, BiDil, and Abilify. Mr. Jones is a graduate of the United Air Force Academy and attained the rank of Major through his active duty and reserve service. He holds an M.B.A from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University.