Wade A. Smith Appointed Chief Executive Officer
Veteran biopharmaceutical executive brings deep capital-raising, M&A, and product launch experience to lead ThyrOxy platform development
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Herald Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing the ThyrOxy thyroid hormone–based therapeutic platform for life-threatening lung and cardiac diseases, today announced the appointment of Wade A. Smith, CPA, as Chief Executive Officer. Smith joins Herald with more than 20 years of pharmaceutical, capital markets, and M&A leadership experience to advance the Company’s lead programs in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), and heart failure.
“Wade is the right leader to take Herald into its next phase of growth,” said David H. Ingbar, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of Herald Therapeutics. “His combination of capital-raising fluency, hands-on M&A and licensing execution, and direct experience launching products in U.S. specialty markets is exactly what ThyrOxy needs as we move toward pivotal clinical readouts and strategic partnerships. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
“ThyrOxy represents a genuinely novel mechanism aimed at the underlying biology of acute lung injury, with platform applicability across a continuum of pulmonary and cardiac diseases that have been resistant to meaningful therapeutic progress for decades,” said Smith. “Drs. Ingbar, Rich, and Schumacher have built an exceptional scientific and clinical foundation, and I am honored to join them. My focus will be on translating that foundation into well-financed, well-executed clinical programs and strategic partnerships that bring this therapy to the patients who need it most.”
About Wade A. Smith
Smith most recently served as Chief Business and Financial Officer of Elevar Therapeutics, a privately held pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company, where he raised capital from existing and new private equity investors and lenders, prepared the company for an initial public offering, and led in-licensing transactions valued at more than $1.1 billion combined. These included the $500M in-license of lirafugratinib (FGFR2 inhibitor) from Relay Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RLAY) and the $600M global license of an anti-PD-1 biologic from a larger Asian drug developer, each negotiated to favorable upfront and royalty economics for Elevar.
Prior to Elevar, Smith spent a decade at Mylan / Viatris (NYSE: VTRS), where he served as Head of U.S. Institutional Commercial Finance for a $1 billion+ division. In that role he established and implemented customer contracting, product, and payor strategy as a member of the executive leadership team, and led launch pricing, managed-care engagement, and sales targeting for more than 100 new products—including the buy-and-bill oncology biosimilars Fulphila (pegfilgrastim) and Ogivri (trastuzumab). Earlier in his career, Smith led the $400M S-1 senior secured term bond offering for Nova Chemicals (NYSE/TSX: NCX) with Citibank as bookrunner, and as Director of Global Accounting & Financial Reporting at Taggart Global executed five acquisitions, two divestitures, seven new entity start-ups, and a private equity exit to a larger public company.
Smith earned his B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from Penn West California University of Pennsylvania and completed Duke Fuqua School of Business’s Advanced Leadership in Healthcare Program. He is an active CPA in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The oldest of four siblings raised by a strong single mother, Smith is a lifelong competitive endurance athlete in cycling, triathlon, and trail running. He lives with his wife and daughter.
About ThyrOxy
ThyrOxy™ is Herald Therapeutics’ proprietary thyroid hormone–based therapeutic platform, designed to address the fundamental biology of acute lung injury. In addition to its lead indication in ARDS, ThyrOxy is being advanced in Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome (IRDS) and Acute Heart Failure. ThyrOxy was originally developed at the University of Minnesota and is exclusively licensed to Herald Therapeutics.
About Herald Therapeutics
Herald Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, developing ThyrOxy, a thyroid hormone–based therapeutic platform targeting life-threatening lung and cardiac diseases. The Company’s lead programs are in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome (IRDS), and Acute Heart Failure. For more information, please visit heraldtx.com.
Investor & Media Contact
Wade Smith, CEO
Herald Therapeutics, Inc.
wsmith@heraldtx.com | 412-216-9988