WASHINGTON, Feb. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines for infectious diseases, announced today it has appointed Kristen Landon to the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Landon is an accomplished commercial leader with over 26 years’ experience launching, building, and transforming commercial teams and brands in the pharmaceutical industry.
“We screened hundreds of applicants during the second half of 2023 and Kristen’s vision and directly relevant experience made her the ideal match for the position,” said Geoff Dow, PhD., 60 Degrees Pharma Chief Executive Officer. “With this hire and last month’s financing, management and the Board are excited about the milestones we aim to achieve in the coming quarters.”
“I am impressed by the vision and track record that the 60 Degrees team has demonstrated by the achievement of FDA approval for ARAKODA, a successful IPO and recent FDA support of a clinical babesiosis program,” said Ms. Landon. “We have had extensive discussions about our commercial path and I’m confident in this team’s ability to grow the business based on smart planning and focused execution.”
Most recently, Ms Landon served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at TherapeuticsMD. Previous commercial leadership roles include Vice President of Marketing at Radius Health, Vice President of Marketing at Sprout, and Executive Director of Women’s Health Global Brands at Actavis. Earlier in her career, Ms. Landon held roles of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing leadership at Abbott Labs and Novartis. Ms. Landon holds an MBA from Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Bachelor’s degree from Kean University.
Tafenoquine is approved for malaria prophylaxis in patients aged 18 years and older in the United States under the product name ARAKODA®. The safety of the approved regimen of tafenoquine for malaria prophylaxis has been assessed in five separate randomized, double-blind, active comparator or placebo-controlled trials for durations of up to six months.
Tafenoquine has not been proven to be effective for treatment or prevention of babesiosis and is not approved by the FDA for such an indication.
About ARAKODA® (tafenoquine)
Tafenoquine was discovered by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the current study was funded by the United States Army Medical & Materiel Development Activity. Tafenoquine was approved for malaria prophylaxis in 2018 in the United States as ARAKODA® and in Australia as KODATEF®.
Both were commercially launched in 2019 and are currently distributed through pharmaceutical wholesaler networks in each respective country. They are available at retail pharmacies as a prescription-only malaria prevention drug.
ARAKODA is not suitable for everyone, and patients and prescribers should review the Important Safety Information below.
Individuals at risk of contracting malaria are prescribed ARAKODA 2 x 100 mg tablets once per day for three days (the loading phase) prior to travel to an area of the world where malaria is endemic, 2 x 100 mg tablets weekly for up to six months during travel, then 2 x 100 mg in the week following travel.
ARAKODA® (tafenoquine) Important Safety Information
ARAKODA® is an antimalarial indicated for the prophylaxis of malaria in patients aged 18 years of age and older.
Contraindications
ARAKODA® should not be administered to:
- Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (“G6PD”) deficiency or unknown G6PD status;
- Breastfeeding by a lactating woman when the infant is found to be G6PD deficient or if G6PD status is unknown;
- Patients with a history of psychotic disorders or current psychotic symptoms; or
- Known hypersensitivity reactions to tafenoquine, other 8-aminoquinolines or any component of ARAKODA®.
Warnings and Precautions
Hemolytic Anemia: G6PD testing must be performed before prescribing ARAKODA® due to the risk of hemolytic anemia. Monitor patients for signs or symptoms of hemolysis.
G6PD Deficiency in Pregnancy or Lactation: ARAKODA® may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman with a G6PD-deficient fetus. ARAKODA® is not recommended during pregnancy. A G6PD-deficient infant may be at risk for hemolytic anemia from exposure to ARAKODA® through breast milk. Check infant’s G6PD status before breastfeeding begins.
Methemoglobinemia: Asymptomatic elevations in blood methemoglobin have been observed. Initiate appropriate therapy if signs or symptoms of methemoglobinemia occur.
Psychiatric Effects: Serious psychotic adverse reactions have been observed in patients with a history of psychosis or schizophrenia, at doses different from the approved dose. If psychotic symptoms (hallucinations, delusions or grossly disorganized thinking or behavior) occur, consider discontinuation of ARAKODA® therapy and evaluation by a mental health professional as soon as possible.
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Serious hypersensitivity reactions have been observed with administration of ARAKODA®. If hypersensitivity reactions occur, institute appropriate therapy.
Delayed Adverse Reactions: Due to the long half-life of ARAKODA® (approximately 17 days), psychiatric effects, hemolytic anemia, methemoglobinemia and hypersensitivity reactions may be delayed in onset and/or duration.
Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions (incidence greater than or equal to 1 percent) were: headache, dizziness, back pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), motion sickness, insomnia, depression, abnormal dreams and anxiety.
Drug Interactions Avoid co-administration with drugs that are substrates of organic cation transporter-2 (OCT2) or multidrug and toxin extrusion (MATE) transporters.
About 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc., founded in 2010, specializes in developing and marketing new medicines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases that affect the lives of millions of people. 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals achieved FDA approval of its lead product, ARAKODA® (tafenoquine), for malaria prevention in 2018. 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals also collaborates with prominent research organizations in the U.S., Australia and Singapore. The 60 Degrees Pharmaceutical mission has been supported through in-kind funding from the DOD and private institutional investors including Knight Therapeutics Inc., a Canadian-based pan-American specialty pharmaceutical company. 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in Washington D.C., with a majority-owned subsidiary in Australia. Learn more at www.60degreespharma.com.
