NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightlake Therapeutics Inc. (“Lightlake”) (OTCQB:LLTP), a specialty pharmaceutical company developing pharmacological treatments for substance use, addictive and eating disorders, announced today that it has appointed Mark Ellison, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President Development, Manufacturing and Quality. His appointment is part of a process to accelerate drug development at Lightlake following U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the company’s first product, NARCAN® Nasal Spray, by Lightlake’s commercial partner, Adapt Pharma Limited. 

“With Adapt’s success in obtaining marketing approval for NARCAN® Nasal Spray we are now focused on accelerating advancement of our drug development pipeline,” said Roger Crystal, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Lightlake. “Mark’s skills and experience will be invaluable to us as we move our lead indications of binge eating disorder and cocaine addiction through the clinic.”

Dr. Ellison brings more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry developing products in the therapeutic areas of gastrointestinal, malignant disease, critical care, respiratory, wound healing and diabetes. Most recently, Dr. Ellison was Head of Technical Affairs at S.L.A. Pharma and has also held management positions at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Link Pharmaceuticals, DMV International and Merck. His career focus has been in the areas of product development, regulatory strategy and compliance, quality assurance and clinical development. Dr. Ellison is a qualified pharmacist and member of the General Pharmaceutical Council in the U.K., with a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical technology from the University of Sunderland, and serves as the Director of Phax Pharma, a pharmaceutical consultancy based in the U.K.

“Lightlake is a leading innovator in the area of treating addictive behaviors,” said Dr. Ellison. “I look forward to working with the team in advancing their treatments for these socially- and medically-significant disorders.”

About Lightlake Therapeutics Inc.

Lightlake Therapeutics Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing pharmacological treatments for substance use, addictive and eating disorders. Over 45 million people in the U.S. have one of these disorders. Described by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as “equal opportunity destroyers,” these disorders are chronic relapsing brain diseases which burden society at both the individual and community levels. With its innovative opioid antagonist nasal delivery technology, Lightlake is positioned to become a leader in these treatment markets. Its first product, NARCAN® Nasal Spray, is approved for marketing in the U.S. by the company’s partner, Adapt Pharma Limited. Currently, Lightlake is developing opioid antagonists for the treatment of substance use, addictive and eating disorders, with a near term focus on cocaine use disorder and binge eating disorder (BED). For more information please visit: www.lightlaketherapeutics.com.  

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