In an interview with PharmaShots, Todd Zavodnick, CEO at Dermavant, shared his views on the addition of Nancy Beesley to its Board of Directors. She brings over 25 years of experience in commercializing and branding therapeutics for the treatment of various dermatological, ophthalmic, and neurological conditions and rare diseases

Shots:

• The addition of Nancy as a board member comes as Dermavant awaits FDA review and potential approval of an investigational product, tapinarof, which is a potential topical treatment option for adults with plaque psoriasis
• She brings 25 years of experience onboard. Her expertise in dermatology and new therapeutics will undoubtedly add value to the company’s anticipated commercialization efforts
• If approved by the FDA, tapinarof will be the first and only steroid-free topical cream in its class for adults with plaque psoriasis

Tuba: Share the educational background and experience of Nancy Beesley.

Todd: After graduating from Loyola University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Nancy began her career at Girgenti Hughes Butler & McDowell (Ogilvy Healthworld), where she worked on pharmaceutical and drug-in-device therapies within the respiratory and cardiovascular spheres. She then went on to serve as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at The Olson Group before serving as President and Co-Founder of HCB Health, a full-service marketing and advertising agency dedicated to pharmaceutical and medical devices. At HCB, Nancy worked on various healthcare campaigns in multiple disease spaces, including dermatology and aesthetics, wound care, rare disease, ophthalmology, and neurology — helping to launch more than 70 products.

Tuba: What kind of expertise is she bringing to the board?

Todd: As someone who has dedicated her entire career to launching successful healthcare campaigns and therapies spanning multiple disease verticals and indications, Nancy brings a wealth of experience as we continue to advance both late-stage and early development product categories targeting two of the largest markets in immuno-dermatology: psoriasis and atopic dermatitis — markets projected to reach about $31 billion in the U.S. and $44 billion globally by 2026. We are confident in the promise of our lead product candidate in development, tapinarof, to treat adults with plaque psoriasis, and Nancy’s experience bringing new, novel therapeutics to market will be instrumental to the potential launch of this non-steroidal medication.

Tuba: Please discuss some of the awards, accolades, and affiliations of Nancy.

Todd: In addition to serving as President and Co-Founder of HCB Health, Nancy is a member of The University of Texas Center for Health Communications Advisory Council and a member of both the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) and Ophthalmic World Leaders (OWL).

Nancy has also been named one of Pharma Voice’s “Top 100 Most Inspiring People in Healthcare” and has been included in Austin’s “Women to Watch” list and in Med Ad News’ “Agency of the Year” awards.

Tuba: How will her expertise be helpful in the company’s commercialization efforts ahead of a potential FDA approval of tapinarof?

Todd: With over 25 years of experience commercializing new healthcare treatments, Nancy has helped launch more than 70 products within multiple disease spaces, including dermatology, ophthalmology, wound care, rare disease, and neurology. Nancy’s experience is an invaluable resource to Dermavant as we finalize our commercialization efforts ahead of a potential FDA approval of tapinarof for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults in the second quarter of this year.

Tuba:  What are Dermavant’s plans with Nancy Beesley? Discuss the importance of her presence in the company.

Todd: Dermavant’s mission is to advance innovative, first-in-class therapies for the millions of people around the world living with chronic skin conditions, and we’re doing this by thinking differently, pushing the boundaries of science, and partnering with providers in new ways. As we continue to finalize our commercialization efforts ahead of a potential FDA approval of tapinarof and beyond, looking to our pipeline, Nancy’s extensive experience launching and commercializing novel therapeutics and her passion for advancing life-changing treatments will be vital to our success. We are thrilled to have Nancy on board and grateful that she is part of our team.

Tuba: What are your upcoming plans with your lead candidate in development, tapinarof?

Todd:  If approved by the FDA, tapinarof will be the first and only steroid-free topical cream in its class for adults with plaque psoriasis. Following 20-plus years of minimal innovation in the topical psoriasis treatment space, tapinarof has the potential to offer a new treatment option for adults living with mild, moderate, and severe plaque psoriasis, who may not have found a treatment that provided the results they were looking for.

At Dermavant, we are trying to make a real difference in the lives of patients and healthcare providers, and we are continuing to leverage the science to understand how potential treatments may be reapplied to other conditions, in dermatology and beyond, to help as many patients as possible. In September 2021, we announced that we treated our first patient in Phase 3, a double-blind, vehicle-controlled study of tapinarof cream for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in adults and children. At Dermavant, we’re committed to advancing unprecedented, patient-focused innovation in immuno-dermatology for people who have, historically, had difficulty treating their skin disease.

About Todd Zavodnick:

Todd Zavodnick has over 20 years of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Dermavant in November 2018, Mr. Zavodnick served as Chief Commercial Officer and President of Aesthetics and Therapeutics at Revance. He is a member of the board of directors of the Children’s Skin Disease Foundation.

References:

1. Psomadakis CE, Han G. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2019;12(12):28-34
2. National Psoriasis Foundation. Two Centuries of Progress in One Short Timeline. Available at: https://www.psoriasis.org/advance/two-centuries-of-progress-in-one-short-timeline/. Accessed August 20, 2021.
3. Federman DG, Froelich CW, Kirsner RS. Am Fam Physician. 1999;59(4):957-962.
4. Goldfarb MT, et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 1987;62:1161-1164.

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