VANCOUVER, British Columbia & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Alpha Cognition Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOG) (“Alpha Cognition”, or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel therapies for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, today announced the appointment of Caren Deardorf to its Board of Directors, effective Nov 9, 2026. Ms. Deardorf brings decades of leadership experience across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, with deep expertise in commercial strategy, brand and launch management and corporate development.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, it is a pleasure to welcome Caren Deardorf,” said Michael McFadden, Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Cognition. “Caren is a highly accomplished industry leader. Her broad experience across strategic, commercial, and operational roles will be instrumental as we advance the commercial launch of ZUNVEYL® and continue development of our sublingual program. We look forward to benefiting from her insight and leadership.”
“I’m excited to join Alpha Cognition’s Board at such an important time for the Company,” said Caren Deardorf. “ZUNVEYL® has the potential to make a meaningful difference for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, and I look forward to working with Michael and the Board as the Company builds on its commercial launch and pursues its broader pipeline.”
Ms. Deardorf serves as Chief Business & Strategy Officer at Neutrolis, Inc., a private, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies for autoimmune diseases. She leads commercial and corporate strategy, including business development, investor relations, and program leadership. Previously, she was Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer at Editas Medicine, where she oversaw commercial and portfolio strategy. Before that, she served as Chief Commercial Officer at Magenta Therapeutics and Ohana Biosciences, helping both companies transition from research into development and commercialization by scaling operations, advancing commercial readiness, and establishing value-based portfolio prioritization.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Deardorf spent 20 years at Biogen in roles of increasing responsibility across U.S. and global commercial and product development, culminating as Vice President, Global Product Development & Commercialization Lead for SPINRAZA® and the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) portfolio. She led the launch of SPINRAZA, the first approved therapy for SMA, which generated approximately $2 billion in revenue in its first two years and secured reimbursement in approximately 30 countries. She also played a key role in establishing Biogen’s leadership in multiple sclerosis through a series of first- and best-in-class launches in a highly competitive market. Ms. Deardorf recently served on the board of directors for Crinetics from March 2022 through its acquisition by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Pan Massachusetts Challenge, a non-profit organization that has raised over $1.2B for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute through its annual bike ride.
About Alpha Cognition Inc.
Alpha Cognition Inc. is a commercial stage, biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Cognitive Impairment with mild Traumatic Brain Injury (“mTBI”), for which there are limited or no approved treatment options.
ZUNVEYL is a patented drug approved as a new generation acetylcholinesterase inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, with expected minimal gastrointestinal side effects. ZUNVEYL’s active metabolite is differentiated from donepezil and rivastigmine in that it binds neuronal nicotinic receptors, most notably the alpha-7 subtype, which is known to have a positive effect on cognition. ALPHA-1062 is also being developed in combination with memantine to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia, and as an intranasal formulation for Cognitive Impairment with mTBI.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance and are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections. Forward‐looking statements may include statements regarding the Company’s business strategy, market size, potential growth opportunities, capital requirements, clinical development activities, the timing and results of clinical trials, regulatory submissions, potential regulatory approval and commercialization of the Company’s products. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "may," "might," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "target," "seek," "continue," or similar expressions. Although the Company believes it has a reasonable basis for these forward-looking statements, they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks that patent applications may not result in issued patents; that any issued claims may be narrower than claims currently pending; that issued patents may be challenged, invalidated, narrowed, circumvented or held unenforceable; that the disclosed manufacturing processes may not achieve the anticipated benefits; and other risks described in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities.
No assurance can be given that U.S. Patent Application No. 19/090,242 or any related application will result in an issued patent, that any patent granted will provide commercially meaningful protection, or that any resulting patent will remain valid or enforceable for its full term. Further information regarding these and other risks can be found under "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
