16 September 2021 - - US-based biopharmaceutical company PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHAS) has appointed William D. Humphries to its board of directors, the company said.

Additionally, Justin Klein, M.D., J.D., is stepping down from his role as director, effective immediately.

Humphries has more than 30 years of experience building and leading commercial-stage pharmaceutical organizations.

He is currently the chief executive officer of Isosceles Pharmaceuticals, a position he has held since May 2021.

Prior to his role at Isosceles, Humphries served as president of Ortho Dermatologics, a Bausch Health company.

Before joining Ortho Dermatologics, he served as president and chief executive officer of the North American business of Merz, an affiliate of Merz Pharma Group, where he oversaw strategic direction and collaboration among three North American companies: Merz Pharmaceuticals LLC, Merz Aesthetics Inc., and Merz Pharma Canada Ltd.

Before joining Merz, he served in a number of leadership positions with Stiefel Laboratories, including as its chief commercial officer and then as president, where he spearheaded two significant acquisitions and led the global integration of Stiefel into GlaxoSmithKline.

Earlier in his career Humphries served in executive roles in sales and marketing, business development, and international marketing for Allergan, concluding as vice president of its US skincare business.

In addition to joining the PhaseBio board of directors, Humphries currently serves as the chairman of the board for Clearside Biomedical, chairman of the board for STRATA Skin Sciences, and as a director on the board of Aclaris Therapeutics.

He received a B.A. from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

In addition to joining the PhaseBio board, Humphries was also appointed as a member of its compensation committee.

PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases.

The company's pipeline includes: bentracimab (PB2452), a novel reversal agent for the antiplatelet therapy ticagrelor; pemziviptadil (PB1046), a once-weekly vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor agonist for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension; and PB6440, an oral agent for the treatment of resistant hypertension.

PhaseBio's proprietary elastin-like polypeptide technology platform enables the development of therapies with potential for less-frequent dosing and improved pharmacokinetics, including pemziviptadil, and drives both internal and partnership drug-development opportunities.

PhaseBio is located in Malvern, PA, and San Diego, CA.