LANGHORNE, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Savara Inc. (Nasdaq: SVRA) (the Company), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare respiratory diseases, today announced the appointment of Braden Parker as Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Parker is a seasoned global commercial leader with more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare and biotech industry. Throughout his career, he has developed and executed global commercial plans, including market expansion activities, built high-performance teams, and launched multiple successful rare disease products. Mr. Parker is responsible for overseeing Savara’s global commercial strategy for molgramostim inhalation solution (molgramostim) in autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis (aPAP).
“I am happy to welcome Braden to Savara, particularly as we approach a transformational milestone with the potential approval and launch of molgramostim,” said Matt Pauls, Chair and CEO of Savara. “Braden is an accomplished leader with a proven track record of building commercial teams, leading successful rare disease product launches and accelerating growth for companies as they transition to the commercial stage. We are thrilled to have him as part of our team and look forward to his contributions.”
Mr. Parker joins Savara from Orchard Therapeutics (Kyowa Kirin), where he served as Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, he was responsible for global commercial strategy and execution for the company’s unique ex-vivo autologous HSC gene therapy product portfolio, including overseeing Orchard Therapeutics’ first product launch, Libmeldy, for the treatment of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare hereditary disease. Prior to joining Orchard Therapeutics, he served as Vice President and General Manager for the U.S. organization for PTC Therapeutics and led the company’s first U.S. product launch in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Earlier in his career, Mr. Parker held commercial leadership roles at Celgene and NPS Pharma (Shire). Mr. Parker received his M.B.A. from New York University Stern School of Business and his B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
“I am pleased to join Savara and work with a group of talented leaders who are deeply committed to developing and delivering transformative therapeutics for patients suffering from rare disease,” said Mr. Parker. “I believe molgramostim, if approved, is uniquely positioned to make a significant impact in the treatment of aPAP, and it is a privilege to be able to bring my experience and knowledge to Savara to support a product with such great potential.”
Savara plans to complete submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for molgramostim for the treatment of aPAP in the first half of 2025. If approved, molgramostim would be the first and only treatment for aPAP in the U.S. and Europe. Molgramostim has been granted Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA, Orphan Drug designation from the European Medicines Agency and Innovative Passport and Promising Innovative Medicine designation from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of aPAP.
About Savara
Savara is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare respiratory diseases. Our lead program, molgramostim inhalation solution, is a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in Phase 3 development for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP). Molgramostim is delivered via an investigational eFlow® Nebulizer System (PARI Pharma GmbH) specifically developed for inhalation of a large molecule. Our management team has significant experience in rare respiratory diseases and pulmonary medicine, identifying unmet needs, and effectively advancing product candidates to approval and commercialization. More information can be found at www.savarapharma.com. (X, formerly known as Twitter: @SavaraPharma, LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/savara-pharmaceuticals/).
