Angel “has significantly contributed to the research, development and regulatory approval of groundbreaking medications over his remarkable career,” MIRA noted.
Longtime pharmaceutical executive Dr. Itzchak Angel has joined MIRA Pharmaceuticals as chief scientific advisor, the company announced.
“Angel brings over 40 years of pre-clinical, clinical and regulatory acumen to MIRA,” the company said in a news release. “He has significantly contributed to the research, development and regulatory approval of groundbreaking medications over his remarkable career.”
At Synthelabo (later acquired by Sanofi-Aventis), Angel played a pivotal role in advancing several drugs, including Litoxetine for depression and Deriglidole for Type II diabetes, from conception to IND applications and clinical trials.
Additionally, his activities contributed to the development and marketing of Mizollen (mizolastine), Xatral (alfuzosin) and Ambien (zolpidem), MIRA noted.
Beyond his tenure at Synthelabo, “Angel has made significant advancements in the pharmaceutical industry, including impactful work” at companies such as Teva, where he was an external consultant in strategic drug development and innovation. He also has founded and served as an officer and director of several pharma startups.
His experience extends through various therapeutic areas and has led to the successful research and development of several drugs, including DP-VPA for epilepsy and bi-polar disorders, which later was licensed to Shire Pharmaceuticals.
“We are truly honored to have Dr. Angel on our team,” stated Erez Aminov, chairman and CEO of MIRA. “His distinguished career across the pharmaceutical industry, from startups to big pharma, his exceptional scientific skills and his dedication to pharmaceutical innovation will help propel our promising pre-clinical drug candidates forward. His expertise will be invaluable as we move our product candidates towards INDs and through the clinical trial and regulatory approval process and also as we seek to expand our product candidate portfolio.”
Miami-based MIRA Pharmaceuticals is a pre-clinical-stage pharmaceutical development company with two neuroscience programs targeting a broad range of neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders.
The company’s novel oral pharmaceutical marijuana, MIRA-55, is under investigation for treating adult patients suffering from anxiety and cognitive decline, often associated with early-stage dementia. MIRA also holds the exclusive U.S., Canadian and Mexican rights for Ketamir-2, a novel, patent-pending oral ketamine analog under investigation to potentially deliver ultra-rapid antidepressant effects.
“I am thrilled to contribute to MIRA’s pioneering efforts in addressing the challenges in neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders,” Angel said. “I look forward to applying my experience and insights to help advance MIRA.”