UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

November 30, 2011

DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED)

Commission File No. 001-33057

 

 

CATALYST PHARMACEUTICAL PARTNERS, INC.

(Exact Name Of Registrant As Specified In Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware		76-0837053
(State Or Other Jurisdiction Of Incorporation Or Organization)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1500

Coral Gables, Florida 33134

(Address Of Principal Executive Offices)

(305) 529-2522

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR240.14d-2(b))

 

¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

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Item 5.02

Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

Effective December 16, 2011, Alicia Grande will become the Company’s Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. In that role, she will oversee all accounting and reporting functions for the Company. Ms. Grande replaces Jack Weinstein, who will no longer be employed by the Company effective as of that date.

Biographical information regarding Ms. Grande, who has served since January 2007 as the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller, is included in the Company’s proxy statement for its 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (filed on April 11, 2011), under the heading: “Our Management Team.”

There are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Grande and the Company, or between the Company and any other persons, pursuant to which Ms. Grande was appointed as the Company’s Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Further, there is no contractual arrangement between the Company and Ms. Grande or any material compensation plan in which she participates that is being entered into or amended in connection with Ms. Grande’s appointment as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

There are no disagreements between the Company and Mr. Weinstein on matters relating to the Company’s accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, disclosure controls or procedures, internal control over financial reporting or operations. Further, pursuant to the terms of a Letter Agreement, dated November 12, 2008, between Mr. Weinstein and the Company, Mr. Weinstein will be paid severance benefits over the next year equal to one year’s base salary.

 

Item 8.01

Other Events

On December 2, 2011, the Company issued a press release regarding the appointment of Ms. Grande to the position of Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(c)

Exhibits

 

99.1

Press release issued by the Company on December 2, 2011

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Dated: December 6, 2011

 

NEWS RELEASE   For Further Information Contact: Patrick J. McEnany Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Chief Executive Officer (305) 529-2522 pmcenany@catalystpharma.com		FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     Melody Carey Rx Communications Group Co-President (917) 322-2571 mcarey@rxir.com

CATALYST PHARMACEUTICAL PARTNERS PROMOTES ALICIA GRANDE

TO VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

CORAL GABLES, FL, December 2, 2011 — Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (NasdaqCM: CPRX) (“Company”) today announced that Alicia Grande, CPA, CMA, Catalyst’s Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, has been promoted to Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective December 16, 2011. Catalyst also announced that Jack Weinstein, Catalyst’s current Chief Financial Officer, is leaving Catalyst to pursue other interests.

“Since joining Catalyst, Alicia has proven to be a valuable part of our management team and has taken on ever increasing tasks and responsibilities. I am confident that she will continue to excel in her new position,” said Patrick J. McEnany, Catalyst’s President and CEO. McEnany continued, “I also want to thank Jack for his many years of service to the company and to wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.”

Prior to joining Catalyst in January 2007, since 2003 Ms. Grande was employed by The Hackett Group, Inc. (formerly known as Answerthink, Inc.), a publicly traded information technology consulting services company. Ms. Grande served in various capacities with The Hackett Group, most recently as Senior Director of Finance, and was responsible for all external and SEC financial reporting. Ms. Grande also served as head of The Hackett Group’s Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance team. Prior to joining The Hackett Group, Ms. Grande was employed for more than 10 years in capacities from staff to most recently Senior Manager, Audit & Business Consulting, by several public accounting firms including Arthur Andersen LLP. Ms. Grande, who is a CPA, earned a master of accounting degree from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with majors in accounting and finance, from Syracuse University.

About Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of prescription drugs targeting diseases of the central nervous system with a focus on the treatment of addiction and epilepsy. Catalyst has two products in development, and is currently evaluating its lead product and first-in-class GABA aminotransferase inhibitor candidate, CPP-109 (vigabatrin), for the treatment of cocaine addiction. CPP-109 has been granted “Fast Track” status by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Catalyst also expects to evaluate CPP-109 for the treatment of other addictions. Catalyst is also developing CPP-115, another GABA aminotransferase inhibitor that is more potent than vigabatrin and has reduced side effects (e.g., visual field defects, or VFDs) from those

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associated with vigabatrin. Catalyst is planning to develop CPP-115 for several indications, including drug addiction, epilepsy (initially infantile spasms) and for other selected central nervous disease indications. CPP-115 has been granted orphan-drug designation for the treatment of infantile spasms by the FDA. Catalyst believes that it controls all current intellectual property for drugs that have a mechanism of action related to the inhibition of GABA aminotransferase. For more information about Catalyst, go to www.catalystpharma.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. A number of factors, including those described in the Company’s filings with the SEC, could adversely affect the Company. Copies of the Company’s filings with the SEC are available from the SEC, may be found on the Company’s website or may be obtained upon request from the Company. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.

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