SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Freedom Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology platform developing next-generation viable and efficacious ketamine and psychedelics-based therapeutics, today announced the appointment of David Hough, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Hough will oversee Freedom Biosciences’ clinical development programs as the company advances its pipeline of novel therapeutics for patients with mental health and addiction disorders.
Dr. Hough spent nearly 17 years at Janssen Research and Development, LLC (a Johnson & Johnson company), where he held a variety of leadership positions including as the leader of the SPRAVATO® (Esketamine) compound development team. In this role, Dr. Hough oversaw the program through the development of novel indications for two severe mood disorders, and he was responsible for all the medical, scientific, manufacturing, quality, preclinical, and commercial aspects of the program.
“We’re entering an important phase as we work to advance Freedom Biosciences’ current lead ketamine-based program, FREE001,” says Dina Burkitbayeva, co-founder and CEO of Freedom Biosciences. “Dr. Hough’s proven experience leading clinical development for revolutionary drugs like SPRAVATO®, INVEGA SUSTENNA® and INVEGA TRINZA® that address challenging psychiatric indications, and in successfully bringing novel therapeutics to market, will be invaluable. He is also an ideal complement to our co-founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. John Krystal, and Head of Scientific Advisory Board and Senior Medical Advisor, Dr. Robert Berman. Dr. Hough is a key addition to our world-class team.”
Dr. Hough is a graduate of West Point and served for several years as an Army officer before attending medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland. After completing residency training in Psychiatry at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C., he served for 10 years as an Army psychiatrist at two separate community hospitals, and on the faculty of a psychiatry residency program in Honolulu, Hawaii. He completed a two-year research fellowship in clinical pharmacology jointly sponsored by USUHS and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He is board certified in both Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry and held an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry position at USUHS for several years. He has authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, is a reviewer for several journals, and was an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
“Freedom Biosciences is identifying the most efficacious combinations of chemicals and translating those discoveries into promising programs to treat a range of mental health indications,” said Dr. David Hough. “I look forward to contributing my expertise and working alongside the team.”
For more information, visit: www.freedombio.co
About Freedom Biosciences
Freedom Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology platform developing next-generation viable and efficacious ketamine and psychedelic therapeutics. The company was co-founded by Dr. John Krystal, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, and Dina Burkitbayeva, founder of PsyMed Ventures, alongside Hunter Bouchard and Morgan Springer. Freedom Biosciences launched from stealth in 2022 and is backed by MBX Capital, Village Global and PsyMed Ventures, among others. To learn more, visit: www.freedombio.co
