Spruce Biosciences Adds Commercial Veteran Keli Walbert to Board Ahead of Sanfilippo Syndrome Therapy BLA
核心洞察
Spruce Biosciences appointed Keli Walbert, a veteran pharmaceutical commercial leader with over 20 years of experience, to its Board of Directors as the company prepares for a Biologics License Application submission for TA-ERT (搜索).
The appointment comes at a pivotal time as Spruce advances TA-ERT (搜索) for the treatment of Sanfilippo Syndrome Type B (搜索) (MPS IIIB (搜索)), which could potentially become the first disease-modifying therapy for children with this rare neurological disorder.
Walbert brings extensive rare disease commercialization expertise from her role as Executive Vice President, U.S. Commercial at Horizon Therapeutics (搜索), where she led the successful launch of blockbuster medicine TEPEZZA and managed commercial strategy for over 10 marketed brands.
Spruce Biosciences has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of pharmaceutical commercial veteran Keli Walbert to its Board of Directors, positioning the company for its transition to a commercial-stage organization as it prepares to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) for TA-ERT (搜索) in Sanfilippo Syndrome Type B (搜索).
The late-stage biopharmaceutical company announced Walbert's appointment as it advances TA-ERT (搜索), a potential first-in-class disease-modifying therapy for children with MPS IIIB (搜索), a rare neurological disorder with significant unmet medical need.
Strategic Leadership Addition
"Keli joins the Board of Directors at a pivotal time as we prepare for a Biologics License Application for TA-ERT (搜索) for the treatment of Sanfilippo Syndrome Type B (搜索) (MPS IIIB (搜索))," said Michael Grey, Executive Chairman of Spruce Biosciences. "Her experience in successfully launching multiple drugs and her deep understanding of the rare disease commercial landscape will help support our transition into a commercial-stage organization focused on delivering potentially the first disease-modifying therapy for children with MPS IIIB."
Walbert brings more than 20 years of commercial leadership experience across multiple therapeutic areas, with particular expertise in rare disease commercialization. Her appointment signals Spruce's commitment to building commercial capabilities as it approaches potential regulatory approval for TA-ERT (搜索).
Proven Track Record in Rare Disease
Walbert most recently served as Executive Vice President, U.S. Commercial, at Horizon Therapeutics (搜索), where she drove commercial strategy and organizational development for more than 10 marketed brands across nephrology, ophthalmology and rare disease therapeutic areas. Her tenure at Horizon included leading the launch of TEPEZZA for thyroid eye disease (搜索), which became a blockbuster medicine.
Her extensive experience spans commercial functions including marketing and sales, market access, patient services, advocacy, digital initiatives, market research and analytics, and operations. She has deep therapeutic expertise across immunology, rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, nephrology, neurology and obesity/metabolic diseases.
Prior to Horizon, Walbert held leadership roles at major pharmaceutical companies including AbbVie (搜索), Abbott, and United Healthcare, as well as the American Medical Association. Her industry recognition includes the Luminary Award from the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association and the MM+M Women of Distinction Award.
Preparing for Commercial Launch
"This is an incredibly exciting time to join Spruce's Board of Directors as the company advances toward a potential BLA submission for TA-ERT (搜索)," said Walbert. "I look forward to working alongside the Board and management team to support Spruce's strategic commercial planning and capitalize on the company's momentum to prepare for a transformative year ahead."
The appointment underscores Spruce's focus on building the infrastructure necessary to successfully commercialize TA-ERT (搜索), should it receive regulatory approval. The company is developing the therapy for Sanfilippo Syndrome Type B (搜索), a rare lysosomal storage disorder that affects the central nervous system and currently has no approved disease-modifying treatments.
Spruce Biosciences is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies for neurological disorders (搜索) with significant unmet medical need. The addition of Walbert's commercial expertise positions the company to navigate the complex rare disease market as it approaches potential regulatory milestones for TA-ERT (搜索).