Crystalys Therapeutics Overhauls Leadership for Dotinurad Phase 3 Push

Walbert, who previously served as an independent director since January 2026, takes the helm of the board following his tenure leading Horizon Therapeutics through its $28 billion acquisition by Amgen. His appointment coincides with the transition of company co-founder BT Slingsby, M.D., Ph.D., to a board observer role representing Catalys Pacific. Joining the board alongside Walbert is Seth H.Z. Fischer, a former Vivus CEO with a decades-long history at Johnson & Johnson, bringing expertise in navigating clinical development and commercialization.

Simultaneously, the company is scaling its internal operations by promoting DeAnne Reid to Chief Administrative Officer. Reid, a co-founder of Crystalys with prior experience at Aristea Therapeutics and Genentech, will focus on building organizational infrastructure. These leadership changes arrive as Crystalys continues the RUBY and TOPAZ Phase 3 trials, aiming to establish dotinurad as a second-line therapy for patients who fail to respond to or cannot tolerate allopurinol. The drug, a URAT1 inhibitor already available in several Asian markets, represents the company's primary effort to address persistent treatment gaps in chronic gout management.