Satsuma Pharmaceuticals Announces the Appointment of Mutya Harsch to its Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- . (Nasdaq: STSA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing STS101 (dihydroergotamine (DHE) nasal powder), a novel investigational therapeutic product candidate for the acute treatment of migraine, today announced the appointment of Mutya Harsch, JD to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Ms. Harsch is a highly regarded and established pharmaceutical industry professional who brings over 20 years of legal, corporate governance, corporate transaction, and operating experience to Satsuma. She currently serves as General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of VYNE Therapeutics, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. 

“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Harsch to Satsuma’s Board and look forward to benefitting from her experience and guidance as we advance STS101 through Phase 3 development and toward commercialization,” stated Heath Lukatch, PhD, Chairman of Satsuma’s Board of Directors. "Mutya’s extensive background in the biopharmaceutical industry, and particularly her corporate law and corporate development experience, are highly valuable and complementary to the backgrounds of our other Board members.”

Ms. Harsch commented, “It is an honor to join Satsuma’s Board at this pivotal juncture in the company’s development. I have high confidence in Satsuma’s strategy and its executive leadership. I look forward to working with the Board and management as Satsuma prepares to potentially file a New Drug Application next year for STS101, which I believe could be an important and exciting therapeutic option for many people who suffer from migraine.”

Prior to joining VYNE Therapeutics in March 2020, Ms. Harsch served as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer of Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Ms. Harsch joined Foamix in January 2018, initially serving as its General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs. She has over 20 years of legal experience, previously holding positions as Special Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, at Cooley LLP from 2015 to 2017, as a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell from 1999 to 2003 and 2005 to 2015, and as Assistant General Counsel at Warner Chilcott from 2003 to 2005. Ms. Harsch received her JD and BA degrees from the University of California at Berkeley.

About Satsuma Pharmaceuticals and STS101

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel therapeutic product, STS101, for the acute treatment of migraine. STS101 is a unique and proprietary nasal powder formulation of the well-established anti-migraine drug, dihydroergotamine mesylate (DHE), administered via Satsuma’s proprietary nasal delivery device.  STS101 is designed to provide significant benefits versus existing acute treatments for migraine, including the combination of quick and convenient self-administration and other clinical advantages, that current DHE liquid nasal spray products and injectable dosage forms lack. Satsuma’s dry powder DHE formulation has demonstrated fast absorption, rapid achievement of high DHE plasma concentrations which Satsuma believes is necessary for early efficacy, and sustained plasma levels over time with low dose to dose variability. STS101 also now incorporates an improved 2nd-generation nasal delivery device designed to provide more consistent nasal dosing, irrespective of user administration technique. Although DHE has long been recommended in published migraine treatment guidelines as a first-line acute treatment option for migraine and has significant advantages versus other anti-migraine treatments for many patients, disadvantages of current DHE liquid nasal spray and injectable products, including invasive and burdensome administration processes and/or sub-optimal clinical performance, have limited the widespread use of DHE. Featuring a compact and convenient dosage form, STS101 is designed to overcome these shortcomings and provide patients an improved therapeutic solution for acutely treating migraines that consistently delivers robust clinical performance.

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, the potential results of the ASCEND and SUMMIT trials, the timing of initiation and data readouts for ongoing and planned clinical trials, the anticipated timing for a potential NDA filing of STS-101, the potential for STS-101 to be an important and differentiated acute treatment option, and the expected cash runway of the Company. 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 June 30, 2021, 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. 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.

INVESTOR AND CORPORATE CONTACTS:         

Corey Davis, PhD

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Tom O’Neil, Chief Financial Officer

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals, Inc.