Adamas Pharmaceuticals Welcomes Vijay Shreedhar as Chief Commercial Officer 

EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADMS), a fully-integrated pharmaceutical company pioneering time-dependent medicines for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced that Vijay Shreedhar, PhD, has joined the Company as its Chief Commercial Officer, leading all commercial functions including Marketing, Sales, Access, and Analytics.

“We are very pleased to welcome such an accomplished and experienced leader as Vijay to Adamas,” said Gregory Went, CEO of Adamas. “What impressed us most was his unique ability to draw from his PhD, MBA, and sales and marketing experiences. He has demonstrated the capability to read the market, develop strategies, translate them into effective execution tactics with a patient focus, and deliver growth for challenging specialty brands. Vijay’s hire is an important next step for Adamas as we continue to develop as a commercial organization, and he joins us at a critical time as we focus on driving the growth of GOCOVRI for the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease.” 

Vijay joins Adamas from Amgen Inc. where he served in a variety of sales and marketing roles of increasing responsibility in multiple therapeutic areas including Inflammation, Osteoporosis, Oncology and Hematology.  Most recently, he was Executive Director and Integrated Commercial Lead for the Multiple Myeloma franchise with responsibility for national sales, brand marketing and regional marketing teams. Vijay brings extensive US product commercial experience, successfully leading the market entry of new entities, expanded indications for approved products, as well as new drug-delivery systems. He has led strategy, sales and commercial execution for multiple Amgen brands, including Neulasta^®, XGEVA^®, Vectibix^® and Kyprolis^®, with a demonstrated track record of generating robust sales growth in highly competitive markets.   

Vijay started his career as a scientist in the field of Immuno-Oncology, earning his PhD at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and gaining experience in both academic and pharmaceutical research settings. He also earned an MBA in Healthcare Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

“I’m delighted to join the Adamas team, and work with this dedicated group bringing GOCOVRI to patients in need,” said Vijay Shreedhar. “I am impressed with the impact GOCOVRI is having on patients, their families and healthcare providers, and look forward to using my broad experience to understand the challenges and drive adoption.  In addition, I’m excited about the future potential of GOCOVRI across other indications, as well as the promise of our Adamas approach.” 

About Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 

Adamas’ goal is to create and commercialize a new generation of medicines intended to lessen the burden of chronic neurologic diseases on patients, caregivers and society using its deep understanding of time-dependent biology. The Company is focused on the commercialization of GOCOVRI™ (amantadine) extended release capsules, the first and only FDA-approved medicine for the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease receiving levodopa-based therapy, with or without concomitant dopaminergic medications. The Company also continues to deliver differentiated investigational programs, including ADS-5102 in development for the treatment of walking impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis. For more information about Adamas and its unique approach to developing medicines based on time-dependent biology, please visit . 

About GOCOVRI QHS 

GOCOVRI (amantadine) extended-release capsules is the first and only FDA-approved medicine indicated for the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease receiving levodopa-based therapy, with or without concomitant dopaminergic medications. It is also the only medicine proven to reduce both dyskinesia and OFF. 

GOCOVRI is thought to work by reducing the amount of glutamate hyperactivity in a region of the brain that controls movement, in patients experiencing dyskinesia and OFF. The NMDA receptor is activated by glutamate and causes post-synaptic nerve signaling in this area of the brain, which is modulated by dopamine.  Levodopa therapy replaces dopamine lost in Parkinson’s disease but may result in large fluctuations in synaptic levels of dopamine during waking hours, further exacerbating glutamate hyperactivity. GOCOVRI, developed by Adamas, is novel in that it selectively blocks the NMDA receptor in a time-dependent manner.  Taken at bedtime (QHS), GOCOVRI provides an initial lag and a slow rise in amantadine concentration during the night and a high concentration from the morning and throughout the waking day.  Additionally, the adjunctive use of GOCOVRI does not require dose changes to dopaminergic therapies.  The most commonly observed adverse reactions with GOCOVRI were hallucinations, dizziness, dry mouth, peripheral edema, constipation, fall and orthostatic hypotension. For more information about GOCOVRI, please see the U.S. Prescribing Information at  

Contact:

Investors:

Peter Vozzo

Westwicke Partners

443-213-0505

 

Media:

Sarah Mathieson

Vice President of Corporate Communications

510-450-3528