“Pierandrea’s extensive expertise in clinical development is invaluable as Saniona advances its pipeline for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases,” said Thomas Feldthus, Chief Executive Officer of Saniona. “With our internal pipeline progressing through preclinical development and in preparations for clinical-stage development, alongside our ongoing clinical studies in collaboration with Acadia Pharmaceuticals, we are eager to leverage Pierandrea’s insights and experience. His leadership will be instrumental in driving the clinical strategy, designing innovative clinical studies and strengthening our clinical development and regulatory teams.”

“This is an exciting time to join Saniona as the company continues to expand its portfolio of innovative drug candidates with the potential to bring differentiated therapeutics to individuals with neurological and psychiatric disorders,” said Dr. Muglia. “Having served on the Board of Directors, I have already had the opportunity to appreciate the value of Saniona’s pipeline and witness the company’s successes in securing international partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies. I am enthusiastic about taking on the role of CMO and driving the development of the company’s promising assets. Saniona’s pipeline holds great potential and high probability of success, with strong translational plans for all molecules approaching clinical stage, that utilizing objective biomarkers to establish target engagement and demonstrate early evidence of relevant pharmacological effects in the brain will enable optimal clinical study design for in patients’ trials.”

Dr. Muglia is a medical doctor with clinical training in child neurology and psychiatry. He has over 30 years of experience in research and drug development, having held leadership roles at major pharmaceutical companies such as GSK and UCB, as well as management and entrepreneurial roles in biotech. Prior to his industry career, he spent ten years conducting academic research in neuropharmacology and psychiatry.

Most recently, Dr. Muglia served as Vice President and Head of Neurology Early Clinical Development at UCB, Chief Medical Officer at Handl Therapeutics, and President and Founder of GRIN Therapeutics. At GRIN Therapeutics, he successfully launched and secured funding for a clinical-stage company now entering Phase 3 trials with an innovative approach with a small molecule that targeting the underlying cause of a severe genetic neurodevelopmental disorder holds the promises to improve the multitude of symptoms that characterize the disease.

Throughout his career, Dr. Muglia has contributed to the development of molecules for a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. His academic experience includes residency at the Child Psychiatry Services in the Department of Public Health, San Francisco (1996), as well as a postdoctoral fellowship as an MRC-Canada Fellow and later as Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (1998-2002). He has authored over 100 publications in high-impact journals covering neuropsychopharmacology, drug development, and human genetics. He serves on scientific advisory boards for biotech companies and committees for public initiatives and patient advocacy organizations.

Dr. Muglia holds 190,000 shares in Saniona.