Gad Soffer Joins as Chief Business Officer and Richard Silva, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LB Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, today announced the appointment of Gad Soffer as Chief Business Officer (CBO) and Richard Silva, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations. These leadership additions strengthen LB Pharma’s executive team as the company advances its lead asset, LB-102, toward Phase 3 clinical development in schizophrenia and explores additional neuropsychiatric indications.

“As LB Pharmaceuticals enters a pivotal stage of growth, the additions of Gad and Richard to our leadership team reinforce our ability to execute on our ambitious clinical and regulatory goals,” said Heather Turner, Chief Executive Officer of LB Pharmaceuticals. “Gad’s strategic expertise in business development and corporate growth, combined with Richard’s deep experience in late-stage CMC and manufacturing, will be instrumental in advancing LB-102 toward potential commercialization. Most importantly, their contributions will help in our mission to bring safer, more effective treatment options to patients living with schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric diseases.”

As Chief Business Officer, Mr. Soffer will lead corporate strategy, business development, and commercial planning efforts to maximize the potential of LB-102. With over two decades of leadership experience in biopharma corporate strategy, late-stage development, and operational execution, Mr. Soffer has held executive roles across public and private biotech companies, overseeing drug development, manufacturing, business development, finance, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining LB Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Soffer served as Chief Operating Officer at Rheos Medicines, where he led corporate strategy, finance, and business development efforts, securing a $700 million strategic collaboration with Roche. He previously served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics, where he helped scale the company from a three-person startup to a 300-person publicly traded leader in allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Celgene, where he led global project development for Abraxane, and in biotech-focused investment and consulting roles.

“I am thrilled to join LB Pharmaceuticals at this exciting time as the company advances LB-102 toward pivotal development,” said Gad Soffer. “Schizophrenia remains a devastating condition with significant unmet needs in both efficacy and tolerability. LB-102 has the potential to transform the treatment landscape, and I look forward to working alongside this talented team to bring it to patients in need.”

In his role as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations, Dr. Silva will oversee LB Pharmaceuticals’ drug substance and drug product manufacturing, supply chain management, and regulatory compliance, ensuring seamless execution of all CMC activities supporting the company’s Phase 3 trial and future commercial supply readiness. Dr. Silva brings over 25 years of experience in CMC strategy, late-stage development, and regulatory affairs, having successfully led multiple programs through clinical development, regulatory approvals, and commercial scale-up. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Carmot Therapeutics (acquired by Roche), where he led CMC strategy and execution for the company’s metabolic disease pipeline. He has also held executive positions at Epizyme (acquired by Ipsen), ImmunoGen, and Kaleido Bioscience, where he played key roles in regulatory submissions, commercial supply chain development, and global manufacturing partnerships.

“LB-102 is advancing toward a pivotal moment, and I am eager to bring my expertise in late-stage CMC to support its continued development,” said Richard Silva, Ph.D. “A robust and scalable CMC strategy is essential to delivering a high-quality, commercially viable product, and I look forward to helping LB Pharma achieve this critical goal as we prepare for Phase 3 and beyond.”

About LB-102
LB-102 is a once-daily, orally administered, small molecule being developed as a potential first-in-class benzamide antipsychotic in the U.S. LB-102 targets both positive symptoms and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, potentially offering a comprehensive approach to disease management. In NOVA¹, a robust registrational quality Phase 2 trial in both size and statistical analysis plan, LB-102 demonstrated a highly statistically significant reduction in PANSS scores across all treatment arms, underscoring its potential as a much-needed treatment option for patients with acute schizophrenia. The program is advancing toward Phase 3 clinical development.

About LB Pharmaceuticals
LB Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia. The company’s lead candidate, LB-102, is a potential first-in-class benzamide antipsychotic in the U.S. designed to address critical gaps in the current standard of care by providing comprehensive disease management with a generally safe and tolerable profile. LB Pharmaceuticals is backed by institutional investors Deep Track Capital, TCGx Crossover, Vida Ventures and Pontifax. To learn more, visit our website at https://lbpharma.us/.

Media Contact:
Michael Fitzhugh
LifeSci Communications
mfitzhugh@lifescicomms.com