PureTech Founded Entity Seaport Therapeutics Appoints David Wheadon, M.D., to its Board of Directors

Prominent pharmaceutical leader from AstraZeneca, Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline and Eli Lilly, brings extensive regulatory affairs and clinical development expertise to Seaport Board

BOSTON, August 13, 2024 – Seaport Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is advancing novel neuropsychiatric medicines with a proven strategy and team, today announced the appointment of David Wheadon, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Wheadon is a physician and psychiatrist with more than three decades of experience in regulatory affairs, clinical strategy, and global health policy at multinational companies across the pharmaceutical industry.

“It is our pleasure to welcome David Wheadon to our Board of Directors,” said Daphne Zohar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Seaport. “David brings extensive regulatory expertise, and a successful background in the development and approval of several important neuropsychiatric medicines which will benefit Seaport as we advance our clinical-stage pipeline of therapeutics for the treatment of depression, anxiety and other neuropsychiatric disorders.”

Dr. Wheadon is a distinguished pharmaceutical leader who most recently served as Senior Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs, Patient Safety and Quality Assurance at AstraZeneca. While at AstraZeneca, he drove regulatory strategy for the development and approval of the company’s product portfolio and oversaw the global regulatory affairs, patient safety and quality assurance organization. Dr. Wheadon also served as a member of the company’s Global Medicines Development Leadership team and Late-Stage Product Committee, which was responsible for the progression of AstraZeneca’s late-stage portfolio through clinical development, regulatory approvals and market access.

“I’m excited to join the talented members of Seaport’s Board and executive team with deep experience and a proven track record of developing neuropsychiatric drugs,” said Dr. Wheadon. “Seaport has a promising pipeline of novel antidepressants and anxiolytics, and I look forward to being a part of the journey of delivering these important new treatments to the millions of patients suffering from devastating and debilitating mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.”

Dr. Wheadon held previous leadership positions at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as well as senior regulatory and clinical development leader roles at Abbott and GlaxoSmithKline. He also served on the Board of Directors at Karuna Therapeutics until its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in March 2024.  He began his career as a clinical research physician in neuroscience at Eli Lilly. Dr. Wheadon earned an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His residency was in psychiatry at the Tufts-New England Medical Center. He is a member of the American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and the American Psychiatric Association.

“I had the privilege of working with David on the Karuna board, so I know how incredibly fortunate we are to gain his unparalleled level of expertise and industry perspective at Seaport,” said Steve Paul, M.D., Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors at Seaport. “He has an accomplished career and an astute understanding of the regulatory and clinical landscape, which will make him a valuable addition to Seaport as we continue to advance our novel neuropsychiatric medicines through clinical development.”

About Seaport Therapeutics

Seaport Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing the development of novel neuropsychiatric medicines in areas of high unmet patient needs. The Company has a proven strategy of advancing clinically validated mechanisms previously held back by limitations that are overcome with its proprietary Glyph^TM technology platform. All the therapeutic candidates in its pipeline of first and best-in-class medicines are based on the Glyph platform, which is uniquely designed to enable oral bioavailability, bypass first-pass metabolism and reduce hepatotoxicity and other side effects. Seaport is led by an experienced team that invented and advanced important neuropsychiatric medicines and are guided by an extensive network of renowned scientists, clinicians and key opinion leaders. For more information, please visit www.seaporttx.com. 

About PureTech Health

PureTech is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company dedicated to giving life to new classes of medicine to change the lives of patients with devastating diseases. The Company has created a broad and deep pipeline through its experienced research and development team and its extensive network of scientists, clinicians and industry leaders that is being advanced both internally and through its Founded Entities. PureTech's R&D engine has resulted in the development of 29 therapeutics and therapeutic candidates, including two that have received both U.S. FDA clearance and European marketing authorization and a third (KarXT) that has been filed for FDA approval. A number of these programs are being advanced by PureTech or its Founded Entities in various indications and stages of clinical development, including registration enabling studies. All of the underlying programs and platforms that resulted in this pipeline of therapeutic candidates were initially identified or discovered and then advanced by the PureTech team through key validation points.

For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com or connect with us on X (formerly Twitter) @puretechh.