GW Pharmaceuticals Announces the Appointment of Three New Independent Members to its Board of Directors

LONDON, Dec. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GW Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq:GWPH) (“GW” or “the Company”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, today announced the appointment of three new independent members to its Board of Directors, bringing the GW Board to a total of eight members. Joining the Board of Directors today are Catherine Mackey, Alicia Secor and Lord William Waldegrave.

“We are very pleased to welcome these outstanding individuals to the GW Board. The support and guidance of these accomplished leaders will be valuable as GW embarks on the next stage of its journey as a commercial stage company,” stated Dr. Geoffrey Guy, GW’s Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Their wealth of experience, talent, and expertise offer additive value to our Board profile, as well as expands the number of independent representatives.”

Catherine Mackey, PhD
Dr. Mackey is an experienced corporate executive, director and advisor with over thirty years of accomplishment in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. She is currently Chief Executive Officer of CYPrus Therapeutics, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Cour Pharmaceutical Development. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors of Rady Children’s Hospital and as an advisor to several companies. Dr. Mackey previously served as Senior Vice President of Pfizer Worldwide R&D and Director, of Pfizer’s La Jolla Laboratories, where she built Pfizer La Jolla into one of Pfizer’s main pharmaceutical research and development sites with over 1000 employees and a robust drug pipeline. Prior to that role she served as head of Strategic Alliances and also Genomic and Proteomic Sciences for Pfizer.  Dr. Mackey spent the first part of her career in agricultural biotechnology, including as Vice President of DEKALB Genetics, Inc. Dr. Mackey received her B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology and genetics from Cornell University.

Alicia Secor
Alicia Secor is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Juniper Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Secor brings more than 25 years of leadership experience as a life sciences executive, with a track record in leading businesses and advancing products from clinical development through regulatory approval, commercialization, and global expansion across several therapeutic areas. Ms. Secor was previously Chief Commercial Officer at Zafgen, Inc. and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Synageva BioPharma Corp. Ms. Secor spent 15 years at Genzyme Corporation in diverse leadership roles, most recently as the Global General Manager for the Metabolic Disease Business. During her tenure at Genzyme, Ms. Secor led fully integrated businesses, successfully launching products and achieving sustained revenue growth. Ms. Secor spearheaded several strategic transactions and built high performance teams, resulting in consistent growth and profitability across multiple Genzyme businesses including biomaterials, surgical devices, and injectable therapeutics. Prior to Genzyme, Ms. Secor held positions at Alkermes, Inc. in business development, and at Centocor, Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson Company) in clinical and commercial operations. She began her career at Pfizer Inc. as a hospital-based sales representative. Ms. Secor received an M.B.A. from Northeastern University, and a B.S. in Healthcare Administration from the University of New Hampshire and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR).

William Waldegrave (Lord Waldegrave of North Hill)
Lord Waldegrave served as a Conservative Member of the British Parliament from 1979 to 1997 including sixteen years as a Government Minister, of which seven years were as a Cabinet Minister (Minister of Agriculture, Chief Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State for Health, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with responsibility for the Civil Service Reform and Science). Educated at Oxford University and Harvard (a Kennedy Scholar), before entering Parliament he worked in the Cabinet Office in Whitehall; as Political Secretary to Prime Minister Edward Heath; and for GEC Ltd. Lord Waldegrave is currently Provost of Eton College, Chancellor of Reading University and a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford and an Honorary Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. From 1998-2008 he worked at Deutsche Kleinwort Benson and UBS. From 1998–2015, he served as Chairman of Biotechnology Growth Trust plc. Lord Waldegrave was appointed Chairman of Coutts in January 2014 and is Chairman of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, former Chairman of the Rhodes Trust, a Founder Trustee of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation (South Africa), and a former Chairman of the National Museum of Science and Industry.

About GW Pharmaceuticals plc and Greenwich Biosciences

Founded in 1998, GW is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform in a broad range of disease areas. GW, along with its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences, is advancing an orphan drug program in the field of childhood epilepsy with a focus on Epidiolex (cannabidiol), for which GW has submitted an NDA to the FDA for the adjunctive treatment of LGS and Dravet syndrome. The Company continues to evaluate Epidiolex in additional epilepsy conditions and currently has ongoing clinical trials in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Infantile Spasms. GW commercialized the world’s first plant-derived cannabinoid prescription drug, Sativex^® (nabiximols), which is approved for the treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis in numerous countries outside the United States. The Company has a deep pipeline of additional cannabinoid product candidates which includes compounds in Phase 1 and 2 trials for gliobastoma, schizophrenia and epilepsy. For further information, please visit www.gwpharm.com.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect GW's current expectations regarding future events, including statements regarding financial performance, the timing of clinical trials, the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions, the relevance of GW products commercially available and in development, the clinical benefits of Epidiolex^® (cannabidiol) and the safety profile and commercial potential of Epidiolex. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors, including (inter alia), the success of GW’s research strategies, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion and uncertainties related to the regulatory process, and the acceptance of Sativex, Epidiolex and other products by consumer and medical professionals. A further list and description of risks and uncertainties associated with an investment in GW can be found in GW’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent Form 20-F filed on 4 December 2017. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. GW undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

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