Zevra Therapeutics, Inc., a rare disease therapeutics company, appointed Adrian Quartel, chief medical officer. Quartel brings more than 20 years of experience in the international pharmaceutical industry with senior roles in clinical development, pharmacovigilance, and medical affairs.

Quartel was previously the chief medical officer of Acer Therapeutics, where he played a key role in guiding clinical development, medical affairs, and regulatory compliance. Prior to that, he was the chief medical officer at Adamas Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on drug development for neurological diseases. He previously served as the former group vice president of Global Medical Affairs at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he spearheaded the launch of six treatments for rare diseases or genetic disorders, including KUVAN, VIMIZIM, and Brineura. Before his tenure at BioMarin, he oversaw clinical development and held senior medical leadership positions at Astellas, Chiltern, and ICON Clinical Research.

“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Quartel to our team during an exciting period of growth for Zevra after our recent acquisition of Acer Therapeutics and the expansion of our rare disease portfolio,” said Neil McFarlane, President, and CEO of Zevra. “His extensive expertise in overseeing clinical development and leading the commercialization of multiple rare disease assets will play a pivotal role in advancing Zevra’s vision to develop and commercialize therapies for rare and ultra-rare diseases with significant unmet needs.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join Zevra and its exceptional team, prominent for their track record in drug approvals and their fervent dedication to developing treatments for patients with rare diseases,” said Quartel. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to support the company’s mission of developing treatments for patients with rare conditions that deserve quality care. This includes supporting the strategic commercialization of its recently acquired OLPRUVA and its recently filed NDA for arimoclomol, which both address rare, chronic metabolic conditions and have the potential to help these underserved communities.”