Athira Taps Alder Ex-Alder Bio Exec Litton as Chief Operating Officer

Mark Litton has been appointed chief operating officer of Seattle-based Athira Pharma. Litton is the co-founder of Alder BioPharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALDR]]), and was chief business officer at that company until last July. Athira, previously known as M3 Biotechnology, is developing treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. The company is currently enrolling patients in a Phase 1b study testing lead drug NDX-1017 as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Author: Frank Vinluan

Xconomy Editor Frank Vinluan is a business journalist with experience covering technology and life sciences. Based in Raleigh, he was a staff writer at the Triangle Business Journal covering technology, biotechnology and energy before joining MedCityNews.com as North Carolina bureau chief. Prior to moving to North Carolina’s Research Triangle in 2007 he held business reporting positions at The Des Moines Register and The Seattle Times.