The late-stage pharmaceutical company announces a leadership transition as it prepares for the potential commercialization of its once-daily oral therapy for obstructive sleep apnea.
Key takeaways:
- Apnimed has appointed Kevin Lin as the new CEO to succeed founder Lawrence G. Miller, MD, who will transition to vice chair of the board.
- The leadership change comes as the company progresses commercial readiness for AD109, an investigational oral treatment for obstructive sleep apnea with a potential PDUFA target action date in the first quarter of 2027.
- Paul Sekhri, an industry veteran with more than 35 years of life sciences experience, has been appointed independent chair of the Apnimed board of directors.
Apnimed, a late-stage clinical pharmaceutical company, has appointed Kevin Lind as CEO, effective June 2, 2026. The move is part of a planned leadership transition as the company prepares for the potential commercialization of AD109, an investigational oral therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Lind succeeds company founder Lawrence “Larry” G. Miller, MD, who has served as CEO since 2018 and will transition to vice chair of the board. Lind brings more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical experience to the role and has served as chairperson of the Apnimed board since March 2025.
Most recently, Lind co-founded Longboard Pharmaceuticals and served as its president and CEO through its acquisition by Lundbeck for $2.6 billion. He will now lead Apnimed as it builds capabilities toward the potential US commercialization of AD109.
“I am honored to lead Apnimed at such a critical moment and look forward to working with the team to make a meaningful difference for people living with OSA. In just a few years, the company has evolved into an exciting late-stage pharmaceutical company built around its lead asset, AD109, which I believe represents a compelling opportunity to address a significant unmet need in OSA. With the AD109 new drug application (NDA) now submitted and a potential PDUFA target action date expected in the first quarter of 2027, we are progressing commercial readiness for this important asset,” says Lind in a release.
AD109 is designed to be a first-in-class pharmacological treatment to improve oxygenation during sleep and target the neuromuscular root cause of upper airway collapse in people with OSA. The once-daily oral pill, taken at bedtime, is a combination of aroxybutynin, a novel antimuscarinic, and atomoxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.
“With the AD109 NDA now submitted and the company preparing for its potential commercialization, I believe this is the right time for Kevin to assume the CEO role. He brings extensive biopharmaceutical leadership and commercial experience, which, combined with his knowledge of Apnimed from his service as board chair, gives me the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the company through its next chapter of growth and value creation,” says Lawrence G. Miller, MD, vice chair of the board at Apnimed, in a release.
In addition to the chief executive officer transition, Paul Sekhri has been appointed independent chair of the Apnimed board of directors, succeeding Lind. Sekhri has more than 35 years of experience in the life sciences industry and currently serves as chairman, president, and CEO of vTv Therapeutics.
“Kevin’s deep knowledge of Apnimed, combined with his strategic, operational and commercial experience, make him exceptionally well suited to lead the company through this next phase. I am pleased to join the board as independent chair and look forward to working closely with Kevin, Larry and the rest of the board as Apnimed advances AD109 through regulatory review and prepares for the potential commercialization of this important new therapeutic approach to treating OSA,” says Paul Sekhri, independent chair of the board of directors at Apnimed, in a release.
