Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving metabolic health, has announced the appointment of Tom O'Neil as chief financial officer and Erin Lavelle as an independent board director. Mr. O'Neil will oversee the company's finance, accounting, and corporate strategy functions, while Ms. Lavelle will lead the establishment of the company's Audit Committee.
"We are thrilled to welcome Tom as our chief financial officer. His wealth of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry as a CFO and deep expertise in strategy, business/corporate development and commercialization will be critical as we continue to grow and advance our innovative pipeline of Controlled Metabolic Accelerators, which are designed to promote sustained body fat loss while preserving muscle mass," said Jayson Dallas, M.D., chief executive officer, Rivus Pharmaceuticals. "Erin is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with robust operational, financial and M&A experience. Her addition to the board comes at a pivotal time, as we prepare to scale our organization to support this next phase as a company and the continued expansion of our clinical development program for HU6."
Mr. O'Neil brings over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, spanning from start-ups to large public companies. He has held the position of chief financial officer at Satsuma Pharmaceuticals, Protagonist Therapeutics, Arcadia Biosciences, and Sorbent Therapeutics.
"Metabolic diseases stemming from obesity represent a significant global healthcare burden and Rivus is pioneering a new class of medicines which have exciting potential to transform the treatment landscape," said Mr. O'Neil. "I'm excited to be joining the company and look forward to working closely with Jayson and the management team and board on its next phase of growth."
Ms. Lavelle brings over 25 years of strategic and operational leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She has previously held the roles of chief operating officer and chief financial officer at ProfoundBio, as well as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Eliem Therapeutics.
"The Rivus team's proven expertise in the field of mitochondrial biology is unparalleled within the industry and has driven the rapid advancement of HU6 in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and obesity-related heart failure," said Ms. Lavelle. "I'm delighted to join Rivus' board and look forward to sharing my experience and insights as the company advances its pipeline of Controlled Metabolic Accelerators."
Rivus is developing a new class of investigational therapies known as Controlled Metabolic Accelerators (CMAs), which have the potential to enhance metabolic health in individuals with obesity and related metabolic disorders. CMAs are oral small molecules designed to boost the resting metabolic rate, leading to increased energy expenditure, primarily from fat. This reduction in fat mass helps address various cardiometabolic conditions associated with excess fat. CMAs elevate metabolism in a continuous and subtle manner by harnessing the natural process of mitochondrial uncoupling, which contributes to 20%-40% of resting caloric expenditure. A major benefit of this mechanism is that it promotes fat loss while preserving muscle mass, unlike caloric-restriction approaches that reduce energy intake and result in both fat and muscle loss. Initial human studies have shown that CMAs lead to fat-selective weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and a notable decrease in oxidative stress and inflammation.
