SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.– Spruce Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRB), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies for rare endocrine disorders with significant unmet medical need, today announced the appointment of Percival Barretto-Ko to the company’s Board of Directors. Concurrently, Dina Chaya, Ph.D., has stepped down from the Board of Directors.
“On behalf of Spruce, I am pleased to welcome Percival Barretto-Ko to our Board of Directors,” said Mike Grey, Executive Chairman of Spruce Biosciences. “Percival is an accomplished and highly respected biopharmaceutical leader with deep commercial expertise who joins a Board of industry experts that share a conviction around the potential of tildacerfont to alter the course of management for people living with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and other rare endocrine disorders. Percival’s global experience and insights will be invaluable as we prepare for the potential commercialization of tildacerfont.”
Mr. Grey added, “We are also grateful to Dina for her vast contributions to the Board over the past three years. Her counsel and support have helped guide and advance Spruce’s pipeline from early proof-of-concept to late-stage clinical development.”
Mr. Barretto-Ko is a life sciences industry veteran with over 20 years of commercial expertise and biopharmaceutical experience across various therapeutic focuses. Most recently, he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Plexium, Inc. Prior to joining Plexium, Mr. Barretto-Ko served in numerous roles at Astellas Pharma Inc., including the Chief Business Officer and President of Astellas Pharma US, from 2005 to 2021. Prior to joining Astellas, Mr. Barretto-Ko served in increasingly senior roles at Roche UK and US from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Barretto-Ko earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences and Chemistry with Honors from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Yale University. In addition, he served as a Sloan Fellow for Innovation and Global Leadership at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was awarded an M.S. degree in Management. Mr. Barretto-Ko is a board member of Alessa Therapeutics, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, and Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization that serves people affected by poverty or disaster with life-changing medicine and health programs.
“I am impressed by the progress Spruce has made in advancing tildacerfont across multiple clinical programs to potentially change the treatment paradigm for patients with classic CAH and polycystic ovary syndrome,” said Percival Barretto-Ko. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the company, and with an outstanding board and management team at the helm, I look forward to contributing my global experience to support our efforts in developing and commercializing potentially groundbreaking therapies to treat pediatric and adult patients with rare endocrine disorders.”
