Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. announced the appointment of Dr. Jay B. Saoud as senior vice president, head of research and development. His responsibilities will focus on the clinical development of the company's portfolio of CNS products, including a Phase 3 trial with MIN-101 for schizophrenia, three Phase 2b trials with MIN-202 for major depressive disorder (MDD) and insomnia disorder and a Phase 2b trial with MIN-117 for MDD, all planned to begin in the second half of 2017, as well as the completion of pre-clinical development and subsequent initiation of clinical development with MIN-301 for Parkinson's disease. Dr. Saoud brings to Minerva more than 25 years of research and development experience in both industry and academia, where he played a critical role in the design, conduct and reporting of clinical trials across multiple therapeutic areas including CNS. He was previously president and chief executive officer of PPRS Research, Inc., a strategic research and development consulting partner for Minerva.