Bryn Pharma Announces Expansion of Leadership Team as UTULY™ Investigative Needle-Free Epinephrine Nasal Spray Prepares for Market Entry

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#anaphylaxis--Bryn Pharma, LLC, a privately held pharmaceutical company dedicated to finding a better way for patients and caregivers to treat anaphylaxis, announced today that it has expanded its leadership team as the company further prepares for the market entry of UTULY™, an investigational self-administered form of epinephrine being studied for the treatment of type 1 allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. The new hires include: Jeff Evans, Head of Manufacturing Operations; Dr. Karen Rance, Head of Medical Affairs; Jeremy Shepler, Head of Sales and Marketing; and, Brian Tabakin, Head of Market Access.

“The addition of Jeff, Karen, Jeremy, and Brian represents a significant step forward in Bryn’s progress toward commercialization as we prepare to bring our much-needed and innovative therapy to market,” said CEO Sandy Loreaux. “We have diligently built a stellar team of seasoned executives over the past several months, each contributing perfectly aligned skill sets and deep experience in the healthcare and anaphylaxis space to ensure a successful launch and market entry of UTULY. We are thrilled that they are on board and embrace our commitment to offering people with anaphylaxis an affordable, needle-free epinephrine nasal spray that is also convenient and has rapid uptake of epinephrine.”

Jeremy Shepler serves as Head of Sales and Marketing for Bryn, where he is responsible for building Bryn’s sales force and overall brand strategy and tactical execution. For the past two decades, Jeremy has held various commercial roles in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. In his most recent role, Jeremy served as Vice President, Area Commercial Lead, Cardiometabolic Sales for the East Area at Novo Nordisk, where he has held roles of increasing responsibility since 2010. He also served as Vice President, Injectable GLP-1 Marketing, a journey that began in 2015 when he was promoted to lead the commercialization of Ozempic.® He was responsible for the early commercialization plan for the blockbuster that would become Ozempic, co-chairing the Global Project Team to architect the forthcoming launch and lifecycle management plan. That planning led to the first-ever agile/phased launch approach in the industry, which has since been adopted by Novo Nordisk and across the industry. Now, Ozempic is an established household brand, on its way to septuple blockbuster ($7B) status. Jeremy has deep sales and marketing experience in other pharmaceutical organizations, such as Meda, Accentia, and InVentiv Health, US. Jeremy earned a BS from Bentley University and is a recent participant in the Wharton School of Business Executive Leadership Program.

Brian Tabakin serves as Bryn’s Head of Market Access, where he oversees all aspects of market access including direct customer-facing account teams for payers, PBMs, specialty and retail pharmacies, GPOs, wholesalers, and distributors. He is responsible for developing pricing, access, contracting, and channel distribution strategies. Prior to joining Bryn, Brian was Vice President, Head of Market Access for Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, where he led the development and execution of high-return strategies. In his most recent role, Brian led a 135-person Market Access team with a focus on creating access for therapies across multiple disease areas. Prior to Sunovion, Brian was with Sanofi. He enjoys using his analytical and creative skills to rethink market approaches with the goal of consistently driving access profitability. Brian earned his BBA in Finance and Business Logistics from Penn State University and was a participant in the Babson Executive Leadership Program.

Dr. Karen Rance, DNP, CPNP, serves as Head of Medical Affairs for Bryn, where she oversees medical education and relationships with the patient and professional anaphylaxis communities on behalf of Bryn. She trained and previously practiced as an allergy, asthma, and immunology specialty NP. Most recently, Karen served as the North American Head of Medical Affairs for ALK Abello, a Global Pharmaceutical company specializing in Allergy Immunotherapy. In addition to this position, she led industry leaders as the Industry Chair of the Allergy College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) Corporate Council. She received the National Medical Science Liaison Society’s top award and national recognition for leading her Medical Science Liaison team. While in practice, she served on the National Institutes of Health’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program workgroup and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners​ (NAPNAP) Asthma Clinical Expert Panel. She is the Founding Chair of the NAPNAP's Asthma and Allergy Special Interest Group. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Asthma Education Certification Board, as President of the Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition, and on the Allied Health Leadership Council of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. She regularly presented at National and State Allergy conferences throughout her years in practice, including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Asthma Allergy and Immunology (ACAAI). Karen earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from the University of Virginia.

Jeff Evans serves as the Head of Manufacturing Operations, where he oversees all aspects of manufacturing and ensures that all product quality standards are met. He has over 18 years of healthcare medical device experience. Prior to joining Bryn, Jeff held a variety of leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in Supply Chain, Project Management, and R&D. In his most recent role, Jeff led a 130-person R&D New Product Introduction team to develop and deliver clearly defined manufacturing requirements, robust manufacturing processes, and high-quality products with world-class technology transfer. A key theme throughout his assignments has been leading cross-functional teams to deliver new product innovation. Throughout his career, Jeff has been involved in multiple launches, including combination drug-device products and the first combination product contact lens. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Jeff had assignments with General Electric Transportation Systems and was a founding member of a startup business in Homeland Security Consulting with TRC Companies, Inc. After graduating from the United States Military Academy with a degree in mechanical engineering, Jeff served as an infantry officer for eight years. Jeff is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

About Bryn Pharma

Bryn Pharma, established in 2017, is a privately held pharmaceutical company founded by patients for patients. Bryn is focused on positively disrupting the existing market for epinephrine autoinjectors by delivering an accessible, easy-to-use alternative that better meets the needs of patients. Bryn Pharma seeks to provide this growing population at risk for anaphylaxis with A Better Way to be prepared for a life-threatening allergic reaction. For more information visit www.brynpharma.com.

Rebecca Novak Tibbitt
Rebecca@RNTCommunications.com