Prothena Corporation plc announced the appointment of Billy Dunn, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Dunn is the founding and former Director of the Office of Neuroscience, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During his tenure at FDA, Dr. Dunn had a significant impact on how drugs are developed for a range of serious neurological diseases, including many that previously had only limited treatment options.

His work and leadership contributed to major therapeutic advances in neuro-immunological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis, advances in rare neurological disorders, advances in migraine treatment, advances in the range of complex seizure disorders, and advances in therapies for Alzheimer's disease, among many other neurological disorders. Dr. Dunn is the founding director of the Office of Neuroscience, CDER, at the FDA, a position he held since the founding of the office in 2019 through February 2023. He was responsible for the regulatory oversight of all research conducted to support neuroscience drug development, including the regulation and review of investigational new drug applications and marketing applications for drug and biologic products.

From 2005 to 2019, he held positions of increasing seniority in the Division of Neurology Products, CDER, including his role as director of that division. Dr. Dunn is a trained neurologist and vascular neurologist with experience in basic research, clinical research, and clinical care. He earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his M.D. from the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland.