Ovid Therapeutics Inc. announced that Dr. Zhong Zhong joins Ovid as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Dr. Manoj Malhotra assumes role as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) following the planned retirement of Dr. Claude Nicaise Dr. Zhong will lead all non-clinical scientific and research activities that support the advancement of Ovid’s pipeline of potential therapeutic candidates for the treatment of epilepsy and seizure-related disorders. In this role, Dr. Zhong will oversee Ovid’s scientific strategy and the Company’s research team and academic collaborations with the goal of accelerating research that underpins the clinical development of: OV329, a next-generation GABA aminotransferase inhibitor; selective ROCK2 inhibitors for rare neurological conditions, including GV101 for the potential treatment of cerebral cavernous malformations; and OV350, the first candidate from the Company’s library of KCC2 activators. His efforts will additionally characterize the medical potential of a unique library of direct KCC2 transporter activators in a range of indications, including epilepsies as well as other cognitive, behavioral and pain disorders.

Prior to joining Ovid, Dr. Zhong served in senior leadership and scientific roles at Generation Bio, Wave Life Sciences, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals. He has extensive neuroscience experience across small molecule and next generation modalities and has been responsible for developing scientific strategies and external research collaborations. He earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology from The Rockefeller University in New York, where he discovered Stat3 and Stat4.

He completed his Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Richard Axel at Columbia University. Dr. Zhong will partner closely with Dr. Manoj Malhotra who is taking on an expanded role as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Malhotra will oversee the Company’s clinical, medical, and regulatory functions, and is responsible for progressing Ovid’s clinical-stage programs. Drs.

Malhotra and Zhong replace former Head of Research & Development, Dr. Claude Nicaise, who is retiring after seven years of service at Ovid. Dr. Nicaise will continue to consult for the Company as a member of Ovid’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Meg Alexander promoted to Chief Strategy Officer In addition to deepening its bench of scientific leadership, Ovid expanded the role of Meg Alexander to the position of Chief Strategy Officer.

In this remit, she will oversee Ovid’s corporate strategy and planning, performance measurement, and risk mitigation. She will also continue to oversee Ovid’s Corporate Affairs function with a focus on effectively engaging the Company’s stakeholders including the patient, caregiver, advocacy, and policymaker communities that Ovid strives to serve. Prior to Ovid, Ms. Alexander founded and led a consultancy group at Syneos Health, one of the world’s largest clinical and commercial research organizations, where she worked extensively with biopharmaceutical C-suites and supported the launch efforts of approximately 25 rare disease therapies.