Satsuma Pharmaceuticals Announces the Appointment of Thomas M. Soloway to its Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Satsuma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: STSA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has appointed biopharmaceutical industry veteran Thomas M. Soloway to its Board of Directors effective July 2, 2020.  Mr. Soloway currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Audentes Therapeutics Inc., an Astellas genetic medicines company committed to developing and commercializing innovative gene therapy products for patients living with rare, life-threatening diseases.

“We are excited to welcome Tom to our Board of Directors,” stated Heath Lukatch, Ph.D., Chairman of Satsuma’s Board of Directors. "With his extensive operational and financial expertise in clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies, as well as his capital markets experience, Tom brings a relevant and valuable perspective to Satsuma as we advance through Phase 3 development and prepare to commercialize our lead asset, STS101, being developed for the acute treatment of migraine.”

"I am very pleased to join the Satsuma board of directors during this transformational time for the company," commented Mr. Soloway.  "Satsuma has established itself as an emerging leader in the field of acute migraine and is well-positioned for meaningful near term catalysts, including the readout of topline results from the EMERGE Phase 3 efficacy trial in the second half of this year.  I look forward to working closely with the Satsuma board and management team to deliver on an exciting future for the company."

Prior to joining Audentes, Mr. Soloway served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ascendis Pharma A/S, a Danish biotechnology company developing long-acting prodrugs in the field of endocrinology, and prior to Ascendis served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  Previously, Mr. Soloway was a Principal with Montreux Equity Partners, where he was responsible for sourcing, structuring and leading life-sciences focused venture capital investments.  Mr. Soloway earned a B.S. in Entrepreneurial Studies from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

About Satsuma Pharmaceuticals and STS101

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical Company developing a novel therapeutic product for the acute treatment of migraine, STS101. STS101 is a drug-device combination of a proprietary dry-powder formulation of dihydroergotamine mesylate (DHE), which can be quickly and easily self-administered with a proprietary pre-filled, single-use, nasal delivery device. In developing STS101, Satsuma has applied proprietary nasal drug delivery, dry-powder formulation, and engineered drug particle technologies to create a compact, simple-to-use, non-injectable DHE product that can be rapidly self-administered in a matter of seconds. The Company believes STS101 would, if approved, be an attractive migraine treatment option for many patients and may enable a larger number of people with migraine to realize the long-recognized therapeutic benefits of DHE therapy. STS101 has undergone extensive pre-clinical development, completed a Phase 1 clinical trial, and is currently in Phase 3 development.

Satsuma is headquartered in South San Francisco, California with operations in both California and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. For further information, please visit

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Satsuma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”), as well as the Company’s plans, objectives and expectations for its business operations and financial performance and condition. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “positioned,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s expectations regarding the potential safety and efficacy of STS101 and the potential benefits of STS101, if approved; and the Company’s expectations with regard to the availability of data to be derived from its ongoing and planned Phase 3 clinical trials. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the events or circumstances referred to in the forward-looking statements may not occur. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to, risks detailed in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other documents that may be filed by the Company from time to time. In particular, the following factors, among others, could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: the Company’s ability to demonstrate sufficient evidence of efficacy and safety in its clinical trials of STS101; the results of preclinical and clinical studies may not be predictive of future results; and the risk that the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic may negatively impact the Company’s business, operations, clinical trials or ability to raise capital; the unpredictability of the regulatory process; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; the costs of clinical trials may exceed expectations; and the Company’s ability to raise additional capital. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and the timing of events and circumstances and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release discusses STS101, a product candidate that is in clinical development, and which has not yet been approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. No representation is made as to the safety or effectiveness of STS101 for the therapeutic use for which STS101 is being studied.

INVESTOR AND CORPORATE CONTACTS:            

Corey Davis, PhD

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Tom O’Neil, Chief Financial Officer

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals, Inc.