About Xyzagen

Xyzagen’s broad experience is backed by its founder’s more than 25 years of ‘in the trenches’ drug development experience. Mr. Crean has worked for large toxicology companies, large pharma, venture backed biotechs, early IPO biotechs and lean R&D focused midsized pharma before transitioning to consultant and starting his own biotech. In addition to founding Xyzagen, Mr. Crean is also Founder, President and CSO for 1st Order Pharmaceuticals, which successfully divested its single asset, 1OP-2198, a Kv7 channel opener, to Xenon Pharmaceuticals in 2017, now called XEN1101. Prior to championing 1OP-2198, Mr. Crean was a key member of the international GKS/Valeant team that obtained regulatory approval of POTIGA/TROBALT (ezogabine/retigabine) worldwide as well as working on competitive Kv7 channel molecules to retigabine at Icagen in the late 1990s. He’s also supported critical Nonclinical/Clinical Pharmacology/Biopharmaceutics project aspects for the following products; AZASITE, ELESTAT, LACRISERT, TIMOPTIC, MACUGEN, XENAZINE, APLENZIN, SYPRINE, JUBLIA and CARDIZEM CD. Mr. Crean has been involved in canceling early discovery through clinical phase 2 programs in pain, epilepsy, glaucoma, dermatology and cardiology when they didn’t meet critical scientific endpoints. Our CEO has taken part in programs that did not/have not gain(ed) FDA approval in therapeutic areas of dry eye (Prolacria), neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (Stannsoporfin), myelofibrosis (Imetelstat) and hepatitis C (Taribavirin), thus knows the cost constraints and R&D challenges that early stage companies and lean biotechs face in developing their own drugs.