Stuttering

BASEL, Switzerland, Nov. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Noema Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech company targeting debilitating central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced Robert Lasser, M.D., M.B.A has joined the Company as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). “Dr. Lasser brings over 25 years of CNS experience with a successful track record of medical leadership for neuroscience development and commercialization, and I am excited to welcome him to our leadership team,” said Ilise Lombardo, M.D., Chief Executive Officer Noema. “Rob’s insight and experience leading global development programs will be invaluable as he spearheads the execution of our ongoing clinical studies. I look forward to working with Rob as we continue our mission of developing new and transforming medicines for patients across multiple disease indications.” Dr. Lasser is a seasoned biopharma executive with over 25 years of experience in the CNS space, spanning clinical practice, academic research, large pharma and biotech. Most recently, he held an executive role at Sage Therapeutics, where he led the development of zuranolone (ZURZUVAE®) in depressive disorders. Before that, he was the Chief Medical Officer at MedDay Pharma. Prior to joining MedDay, he was the Head of Neurodegenerative disorders at Roche, where he oversaw the Phase 2 and 3 programs for gantenerumab through 2017. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lasser held various roles at pharmaceutical companies, including managing the medical launch and lifecycle of lisdexamfetamine (VYVANSE®) at Shire, the first medicine for treating Binge Eating Disorder, the launch of the first long-acting injectable atypical antipsychotic RISPERDAL CONSTA® at Johnson & Johnson, and developing iloperidone (FANAPT®) at Novartis in the late 1990’s. Dr. Lasser completed his Geriatric Psychiatry fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health, and his residency in psychiatry at McLean Hospital. He obtained an M.B.A from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, a M.D. from Boston University School of Medicine, and a B.A. in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College. “I am excited to join Noema Pharma ahead of a catalytic year of important milestones that set the stage for the next phase of the Company’s growth,” said Dr. Lasser. “Throughout my career, I have sought to join companies with a clear dedication to Neurology and Psychiatry disorders to match my commitment to those patients and families. Working with the dedicated team at Noema to bring novel therapies to those fighting devastating CNS conditions is part of that continuing devotion.” About Noema Pharma Noema Pharma ( ) is a clinical-stage biotech company targeting debilitating central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The Company has a well-differentiated pipeline with four mid clinical-stage therapeutic product candidates in-licensed from Roche. Noema currently has four active clinical trials in highly undertreated CNS conditions: Ph2b Childhood Onset Fluency Disorder (persistent stuttering), Ph2/3 pain in Trigeminal Neuralgia and Ph2b seizures in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. The Company has completed a Phase 2a clinical trial in adult patients with Tourette Syndrome that is currently being extended with an adolescent cohort. The Company has also completed preclinical validation studies with its triple reuptake inhibitor with plans to enter clinical development in 2024. Noema Pharma was founded in 2019 by the leading venture capital firm Sofinnova Partners. Current investors also include Forbion, Gilde Healthcare, Invus, Jeito Capital, Polaris Partners, UPMC Enterprises, and an undisclosed investor. Contacts: Alex Lobo Stern Investor Relations, Inc. alex.lobo@sternir.com

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- Tebra , a leader in practice growth technology and cloud-based clinical and financial software, today announced that Celebrations Speech Group, a renowned speech-language pathology provider in Northern California, has successfully opened three locations leveraging Tebra’s complete operating system. Celebrations Speech Group recently shared that it will be opening a fourth location due to patient demand. Tebra’s platform is built off the strength of both Kareo and PatientPop solutions. Celebrations Speech Group uses Kareo Clinical and Kareo Billing to enhance its operational effectiveness and chose PatientPop Practice Growth technology to attract and retain new patients. Celebrations Speech Group was using both Kareo and PatientPop independently before they merged to form Tebra. Chimezie Chidi, practice owner of Celebrations Speech Group, explored several different technology platforms before choosing the right solution for her growing business. When she heard the two companies had merged, she recognized how complementary they are and has experienced even more positive results from leveraging Tebra’s unified platform. Using Tebra, Celebrations Speech Group has opened three practices and now employs more than 20 providers and a growing staff. Not only was onboarding new providers simple and easy, but through automation, the practice now receives an average of three new online reviews per week which has helped attract new patients. Since using Tebra’s Practice Growth tools, Chidi has gained over 80 new online reviews (with an average 4.8 rating), 10 new patient appointments per month, and a higher online search ranking. This growth is a direct result of Tebra’s website optimization and Google Ads strategy. In addition, the practice has been able to reduce its no-show rate to almost zero by using text messages to automate appointment reminders and streamline two-way patient communication. Moreover, the practice has quadrupled its revenue and appointments following implementation in 2016. “I saw the value of using both Kareo and PatientPop before they merged to become Tebra, and now that they are a unified platform, I have even more feature functionality and support available to help my business as it continues to grow,” Chimezie Chidi, owner of Celebrations Speech Group, said. “The team at Tebra has been a tremendous ally to my team and I look forward to continuing the partnership as it truly is the best all-in-one platform on the market.” “We are deeply committed to independent practices like Celebrations Speech Group and are pleased to see how impactful our integrated platform has been in shaping and evolving their practice,” Andrea Kowalski, senior vice president of product for Tebra, said. “A harmonious technology experience not only improves patient-provider outcomes, but it also eases physician burnout.” Kareo and PatientPop merged in 2021 to form Tebra. The combined company’s mission is to equip independent practices with digital tools to deliver modernized care. The all-in-one solution can help providers support and attract new patients, get paid quickly, and operate more efficiently. Read more about Celebrations Speech Group’s success using Tebra’s platform. About Celebrations Speech Group Celebrations Speech Group offers high-quality, cutting-edge programs tailored to the needs of the individual. Every patient is unique, and the team knows that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to speech therapy. They help children and adults overcome speech and language disorders, including those related to stuttering, swallowing, and apraxia. They address receptive language disorders and help patients improve their social skills so they can have meaningful conversations. Celebrations Speech Group also treats patients with speech and communications issues related to traumatic brain injuries and developmental disorders such as autism. To learn more, visit www.celebrationspeechgroup.com . About Tebra In 2021, with a combined mission to unlock better healthcare, Kareo and PatientPop joined forces to form Tebra — the operating system for the connected practice of the future. With an all-in-one, purpose-built platform to drive practice success and modernize every step of the patient journey, Tebra provides digital tools and support to attract new patients, deliver modern care, get paid quickly, and operate efficiently. To learn more how Tebra is committed to improving the success and well-being of both patients and providers, visit www.tebra.com .

The funding will be put towards development of its diversified pipeline focused on central nervous system disorders. The round was co-led by European healthcare focused investment firms, Forbion and Jeito Capital. UPMC Enterprises and an additional new investor joined existing investors Sofinnova Partners, Polaris Partners, Gilde Healthcare and Invus to complete the round. The proceeds of the financing will be used to advance the company’s lead compound basimglurant (NOE-101), an mGluR5 inhibitor which is being evaluated in phase 2b clinical trials for severe pain in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and seizures in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Noema is also developing gemlapodect (NOE-105), a PDE10a inhibitor being evaluated in phase 2b clinical trials for Tourette syndrome and childhood onset fluency disorder (COFD) or stuttering; and NOE-115, a phase 2 ready, triple reuptake inhibitor for atypical depression and binge eating disorder. “We are excited to announce the successful completion of this oversubscribed Series B financing round and very pleased to have a world-class group of investors supporting our vision of bringing much-needed treatments to those living with debilitating central nervous system disorders," said Luigi Costa, Chief Executive Officer of Noema Pharma. “We welcome our new investors who bring extensive expertise and knowledge of drug development and company building and add further strength to our robust investor base. This financing comes at a key time for Noema Pharma as we look forward to extensive news flow over the next 24 months.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('text-ad1'); }); Following the close of the financing, Nanna Lüneborg from Forbion and Rachel Mears from Jeito Capital will join the Board of Directors of Noema Pharma. Lüneborg, general partner at Forbion, said: “We have been following Noema since inception and have been impressed by the quality and progress of Noema Pharma’s clinical pipeline. We believe this is the right time to invest as the company has started to generate very encouraging clinical data in indications of high unmet need and particularly with its lead asset basimglurant.” Mears, a partner at Jeito added: “One of the pillars of our investment strategy is to deploy capital in truly differentiated and innovative therapies with high unmet medical need. The research and clinical work being undertaken by Noema Pharma fit these criteria exactly. The dedication of the Noema team and the quality of their work is clear to see and positions the company as the upcoming global leader in its field.” The series B financing follows a $60 million series A financing concluded in December 2020, led by Sofinnova Partners and Polaris Partners. Noema Pharma was founded in 2019 with a seed investment from Sofinnova Partners and four clinical stage assets in-licensed from Roche. Antoine Papiernik, chairman and managing partner of Sofinnova Partners “As co-founders and initial investors of Noema Pharma, we are incredibly proud of what the company has accomplished since its inception,” said. “Raising an oversubscribed funding round of this magnitude is a significant achievement that further reinforces our conviction that Noema can make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients suffering from debilitating CNS disorders.”