Spruce Biosciences has new CFO and new VP pharma development and manufacturing

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#OnTheMove—Spruce Biosciences, a late-stage clinical development company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies for rare endocrine disorders, today announced the appointments of Samir Gharib, MBA, CPA, as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Dasharatha Reddy, Ph.D., as Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing.

The appointments expand the expertise of Spruce’s leadership team as the company advances its pipeline and prepares to move its lead product candidate, tildacerfont, into late stage clinical development for classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and other conditions.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Samir and Dash to the Spruce Biosciences team. Having recently closed an $88 million Series B financing with an exceptional group of investors, we are excited to build our team as we prepare the company for late-stage clinical studies and registration of tildacerfont, with the goal of bringing the first potential new therapy in over 50 years to adult and pediatric patients with CAH,” said Richard King, Chief Executive Officer, Spruce Biosciences. “Their respective talents complement the exceptional team already in place, and provide us with additional momentum as we prepare to meet the opportunities in front of us.”

Mr. Gharib is a proven and experienced leader in the global biopharmaceutical arena who has demonstrated success in strategy and execution of transformative capital raises, strategic transactions, and support of commercial product launches. Prior to joining Spruce, Mr. Gharib was Chief Financial Officer of Stemedica Cell Technologies, and prior to Stemedica, held executive finance roles at Revance Therapeutics and Talon Therapeutics. Mr. Gharib began his career in the Audit and Advisory practice at KPMG LLP, and subsequently in the Corporate Finance practice at CRC LLP. He received his MBA from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley.

“I’m delighted to join Spruce Biosciences at this critical juncture as the company continues to make remarkable progress in developing tildacerfont as a potential best-in-class treatment for CAH,” said Mr. Gharib. “I look forward to working with the team to develop awareness of the company’s programs, and build Spruce into a leading rare endocrine disease-focused, biopharmaceutical company.”

Dr. Reddy is a chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) professional with broad experience in small molecule formulation development, process development, technology transfer, drug substance and drug product manufacture, and supply chain logistics. Prior to joining Spruce, Dr. Reddy was Head of CMC at Landos Biopharma, and prior to Landos held positions in product and pharmaceutical development and manufacturing at Reviva Pharmaceuticals, Teikoku Pharma USA, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals and Relypsa Inc. He gained his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India.

“I am excited to be joining a talented and dedicated leadership team to advance the development of tildacerfont for the treatment of CAH,” said Dr. Reddy. “I look forward to applying my experiences in clinical and commercial pharmaceutical development to treat the devastating medical complications associated with rare endocrine disorders.”