Helus Pharma names former Intra-Cellular CMO to its board

Helus Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: HELP) (Cboe CA: HELP) has appointed Suresh Durgam, M.D., to its board of directors, the clinical-stage pharmaceutical company announced. Dr. Durgam previously served on the company's Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Durgam most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc., which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in April 2025. In that role, he oversaw global clinical development, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and medical affairs.

During his tenure at Intra-Cellular, Dr. Durgam was involved in securing FDA approvals for Caplyta (lumateperone) across multiple indications, including schizophrenia, bipolar depression, and adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder. He previously held senior roles at Allergan, Forest Laboratories, and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, with responsibility for CNS drug development programs.

Dr. Durgam has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and over 200 abstracts and posters. He received his medical degree from Siddhartha Medical College in India and completed psychiatry residency training at Scott & White Memorial Hospital within the Texas A&M University System College of Medicine.

"Suresh's deep expertise in CNS clinical development, regulatory strategy and scientific leadership has already been valuable to us as a member of our Scientific Advisory Board, and we are delighted to welcome him to our Board," said Michael Halstead, Chief Executive Officer of Helus Pharma.

The appointment is subject to approval by Cboe Canada. Helus Pharma is currently developing HLP003, a compound in Phase 3 clinical trials for adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder that has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA, and HLP004, in Phase 2 for generalized anxiety disorder.

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