Acorda Therapeutics has announced that Chief Technology Officer Rick Batycky is leaving the company as of August 20, 2018 to head up a new private biotech firm. Batycky co-founded Civitas Therapeutics, which was acquired by Acorda in 2014, along with its CVT-301 levodopa DPI, (now known as Inbrija) and the ARCUS dry powder inhalation platform.
The company filed both an NDA and an MAA for Inbrija within the last year, with the PDUFA target date for the FDA to complete its review set for October 5, 2018.
Acorda’s Chief Medical Officer Burkhard Blank will take over the company’s pharmaceutical development and technical operations, and the Chief of Business Operations, David Lawrence, will be responsible for the Inbrija manufacturing facility in Chelsea, MA.
Batycky commented, “After twenty years of working to take the ARCUS technology out of the laboratory into the clinic, I am excited that Inbrija is on the threshold of potential FDA approval and availability to people who are challenged by OFF periods in Parkinson’s disease. I feel confident in taking this next step in my career, knowing that Acorda has a superb team to maximize the value of Inbrija, as well as the ARCUS technology.”
Acorda President and CEO Ron Cohen said, “We thank Rick for his contributions to Acorda and for the vision and commitment that led to the development of Inbrija and the ARCUS platform. We wish him great success in his new CEO role. Rick leaves a highly skilled management team in place at our Boston facilities, now complemented by Dave and Burkhard, each of whom is a seasoned leader with decades of experience. As we near the PDUFA date for Inbrija, the entire Acorda team is looking forward to the opportunity to bring this important new medicine to the Parkinson’s community.”
Read the Acorda Therapeutics press release.
