ZEVRA THERAPEUTICS, INC. appointed Christal M.M. Mickle as new CEO

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On May 13, 2023, Zevra's Board of Directors (the "Board") appointed Christal M.M. Mickle, Zevra's Chief Development Officer, as Zevra's interim President and Chief Executive Officer and (ii) designated Ms. Mickle as Zevra's principal executive officer, succeeding Richard W. Pascoe, Zevra's current Chief Executive Officer, in such role, in each case effective as of June 1, 2023 (the "Effective Date"). Ms. Mickle will continue to serve as Zevra's Chief Development Officer while she serves as Zevra's interim President and Chief Executive Officer. As previously reported, Richard W. Pascoe resigned as Zevra's Chief Executive Officer, effective as of the Effective Date.

 

Christal M.M. Mickle, age 44, has served as Zevra's Chief Development Officer since January 2023. Ms. Mickle, who co-founded and has held a variety of positions at Zevra, most recently served as Senior Vice President, Operations and Product Development from June 2022 to January 2023. In this role, she managed the development of each of Zevra's products through strategic collaborations across the various drug development disciplines including clinical, regulatory, nonclinical, and manufacturing, enabling efficient use of funds and the ability to meet timelines and milestones. From January 2018 through June 2022, Ms. Mickle served as Zevra's Vice President, Product Development and Operations. Before founding Zevra in 2006, Ms. Mickle started her career as a Research Associate for New River Pharmaceuticals, preparing compounds in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, pain, and thyroid dysfunctions for further study. Throughout her more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Mickle has been involved in early discovery as a medicinal chemist, starting and helping build a pharmaceutical company, and interacting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, her efforts managing a team of talented scientists has led to the approval of three New Drug Applications. Ms. Mickle received her M.A. degree in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Virginia and her B.A. and B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry, respectively, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is also listed as an inventor on several patents.

 

In connection with Ms. Mickle's appointment as interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Zevra and Ms. Mickle entered into a letter agreement with Ms. Mickle pursuant to which she will be paid at an annual rate of $512,000 while she serves as interim President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Mickle will continue to serve as interim President and Chief Executive Officer until a new Chief Executive Officer is appointed, or such other date that the Board determines.

 

The foregoing description of the Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amendment, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

In connection with her appointment, Ms. Mickle has also entered into Zevra's standard indemnification agreement for directors and officers.