Sutura Therapeutics Appoints Alex Smith as Head of Patient Advocacy

BIRKENHEAD, England, April 6, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​Sutura Therapeutics Limited has announced that Alex Smith has been appointed as Head of Patient Advocacy. To ensure that the company’s ‘Patient First’ ethos has real impact, Alex has also been appointed to the Board of Directors as an observer. 

Alex has 10 years’ experience running the leading Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy charity Harrison’s Fund, since his eldest son was diagnosed with the fatal muscle wasting condition. He brings with him a wealth of experience working in a rare disease setting from a patient perspective, both in Europe and the U.S. He is a leading voice within the Duchenne community, representing patients at regulatory and advisory meetings at both the FDA and EMA.

“As a charity, Harrison’s Fund has worked with the team at Sutura and funded the development of their technology for five years, and I am thrilled to now be involved with the next stage of Sutura’s development. Together, we will take their ground-breaking technology out of the lab and into the hands of patients. The core value of ‘Patients First’ runs through the business, and I am delighted to be able to truly represent those values and the rare disease community in an advocacy capacity and at Board level” said Alex.

Mark Beards, CEO of Sutura commented, "We are privileged to welcome Alex to the team. He has tirelessly championed patients’ rights to have a key role in the decisions about their care, and he will bring this energy and clear perspective to Sutura as we move forward in our mission to pair compassionate beliefs with world-class research and drug delivery programmes.”

“I am thrilled to welcome Alex; he is driven to ensure best outcomes for both the Duchenne and the wider ‘rare-diseases’ communities. It is significant that his role includes working with the Board of Directors, giving a greater voice to those in most need and an honesty to all our clinical programs; Alex will be a true asset,” commented Keith Foster, Chief Scientific Officer of Sutura.