Dr. Versavel has over 30 years of experience in clinical development, specializing in neurology and analgesia. He has played pivotal roles in advancing programs for indications including epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and neuropathic pain. His leadership roles at Pfizer, Sunovion, Zalicus, Alzheon, Neurobo, Cavion, and Eliem Therapeutics, as well as his work as a clinical drug development consultant, have been instrumental in bringing innovative therapies to market. 

Notably, Dr. Versavel led the NDA submission and approval process for eslicarbazepine acetate (Aptiom®) in epilepsy and served as the international clinical leader for pregabalin (Lyrica®), contributing to its NDA submission and subsequent approval for epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and fibromyalgia. In Alzheimer’s disease research, he created the development path and Phase 1 and 2/3 study outlines for a prodrug of tramiprosate and successfully managed its clinical trials. Additionally, Dr. Versavel supported the design of the Phase 1-3 studies assessing a novel dopaminergic agent for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. 

Dr. Versavel also possesses extensive knowledge and leadership experience in early clinical development, from First in Human to Proof of Concept. His work in translational medicine includes establishing a pharmaco-EEG and computerized cognition test unit at the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology of Bayer AG. He has significantly contributed to the clinical pharmacology development of nimodipine (Nimotop®), ipsapirone, and metrifonate for Alzheimer’s disease. He also initiated and managed laser evoked pain studies for the evaluation of several novel non-opioid experimental medicines. 

Dr. Versavel was trained in neurology, is a Board-Accredited Physician in Clinical Pharmacology in Germany and has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles. He holds an M.D. from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, a Ph.D. from Charité Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany, and an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School. At CRC, he brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic vision to drive the advancement of neurology and analgesia research.