Zogenix, a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, has appointed Gail M. Farfel, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief development officer, and Thierry Darcis, M.D., M.B.A., executive vice president and general manager, Europe.

Stephen Farr, CEO of Zogenix. "Gail's diverse background in leading global product development and regulatory approvals of CNS treatments, including for epilepsy, will be enormously helpful as we execute on our core strategic focus of advancing our pipeline programs. Thierry brings a successful track record of launching rare disease products in Europe and will have a small, experienced leadership team joining him in the U.K., representing clinical, regulatory and commercial disciplines. The combination of these accomplished leaders will provide Zogenix the opportunity to further develop and expand its strategic pipeline and rapidly establish the company's operations in Europe."

In the chief development officer role, Farfel will lead all product development activities, including clinical development and regulatory strategy. In his role, Darcis will establish Zogenix's pre-commercial presence in Europe and lead commercial operations in Europe for the anticipated launch of ZX008, an orphan drug expected to enter phase III clinical studies during the fourth quarter of 2015 for the treatment of Dravet syndrome, a rare and debilitating form of epilepsy that begins in infancy. Both Farfel and Darcis will report directly to Stephen Farr, CEO of Zogenix.

Most recently, Farfel was chief clinical and regulatory officer of Marinus Pharmaceuticals, establishing and overseeing clinical, medical and regulatory strategies for adult and pediatric seizure disorders, including a pediatric epileptic orphan disease. Previously, she was vice president, therapeutic area and head for neuroscience clinical development and medical affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Darcis has over 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in global marketing, product development and operations management. He has led European operations as general manager for two successful rare disease-focused biopharmaceutical organizations, most recently NPS Pharmaceuticals and prior to that, Viropharma Europe. Previously, he was vice president, global marketing head and a member of the executive team at Novartis Vaccines. Prior to Novartis Vaccines, Darcis spent over five years with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals in Belgium. He also worked for UCB Pharma.