Daniel Curran

About Daniel Curran

Daniel J. Curran, M.D., age 58, was appointed to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals’ Board on August 1, 2025, with a term through the 2026 annual meeting. He is a seasoned biopharma executive with >25 years’ experience spanning rare disease leadership, corporate development, and venture creation; education includes an M.D. (University of Pennsylvania), M.B.A. (Wharton), and B.S. in chemistry (King’s College). The appointment 8-K reports no family relationships, no selection arrangements, and no related-party transactions >$120,000 involving Dr. Curran since the prior fiscal year .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Appointment and term: Board size increased from six to seven; Curran appointed to serve until the 2026 annual meeting .
• Independence and committee structure (company baseline): The Board historically affirms that all directors other than the CEO are independent under NASDAQ rules; all Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Corporate Governance committees consist solely of independent directors . Current committee chairs: Audit—Donald A. Denkhaus; Compensation—David S. Tierney, M.D.; Corporate Governance & Nominating—Tamar Thompson; Lead Independent Director—Molly Harper .
• Curran’s committee assignments: Not disclosed in the appointment 8‑K or the 2025 proxy; no committee placement specified to date .
• Attendance culture: Recent proxies report all directors attended at least 75% of board and committee meetings (e.g., 2022, 2021), reflecting engagement expectations .

Fixed Compensation

Director fee schedule (2024 baseline used to indicate structure for non‑employee directors):

Annual non‑executive chair cash comp (2024): $250,000 (Patrick J. McEnany) .

Performance Compensation

• Equity structure for directors: Non‑employee directors receive annual stock options and RSUs; grant date fair value for 2024 was $300,019 per non‑employee director (excluding additional chair compensation in equity where applicable) .
• Vesting practices (illustrative disclosures): RSUs historically vest in equal annual tranches over three years (e.g., 2021 grants vest 1/3 per year; non‑executive chair’s 2024 RSUs/options vest in three equal annual installments starting Dec 2024) .
• Change‑of‑control terms (plan-level reference): The legacy 2014 Stock Incentive Plan allows for accelerated vesting or cash-out at the Compensation Committee’s discretion upon change of control; the active 2018 Plan governs current grants and share pool expansions .

Director equity grants (2024 reported totals):

Note: Curran was appointed in August 2025; his initial grant details are not disclosed in retrieved filings .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

Expertise & Qualifications

• Rare disease leadership: Headed Takeda’s Rare Genetics & Hematology TAU (2019–2023), aligning with CPRX’s rare disease focus .
• Corporate development and BD: Senior roles at Millennium and DuPont Merck underscore transaction and portfolio skills .
• Academic credentials: M.D. (Penn), M.B.A. (Wharton), B.S. chemistry (King’s College) .
• Venture and operating experience: Managing Partner (Mountainfield), CEO (Timberline), adding venture/operator perspective .

Equity Ownership

• Beneficial ownership: Curran was appointed post‑record date; not included in the 2025 proxy ownership table. A Form 3/4 would normally disclose initial beneficial ownership, but such filings were not retrieved in available documents .
• Hedging/pledging: Company policy prohibits short sales, options, hedging transactions, and pledging/margining by directors .
• Related‑party exposure: 8‑K states no transactions >$120,000 with a direct or indirect material interest for Curran since the prior fiscal year .

Governance Assessment

• Independence and conflicts: Curran is a non‑employee director with no reported related‑party transactions, family relationships, or selection arrangements—positive signals for independence and conflict oversight (independence designation was not explicitly stated in the appointment 8‑K). The Board’s practice is that all directors other than the CEO are independent, and all standing committees are composed solely of independent directors .
• Committee fit: Given his rare disease and BD background, he is well‑suited for strategy-intensive oversight (e.g., CG&N or Compensation), though actual committee assignments are not disclosed yet .
• Pay and alignment: Director compensation emphasizes equity, with no meeting fees and defined retainers; equity grants and hedging/pledging prohibitions align incentives and reduce misalignment risk .
• Workload considerations: Concurrent roles (CEO of Timberline, Managing Partner at Mountainfield, director at Xilio) indicate significant time commitments; while common in biotech, monitoring engagement and meeting attendance will be important as future disclosures emerge .
• Shareholder protections: Corporate Governance Guidelines and insider trading policies provide baseline governance protections; Board regularly holds executive sessions of independent directors, and committee charters address Sarbanes‑Oxley, NASDAQ governance, and oversight .

RED FLAGS

• None disclosed specific to Curran: No related‑party transactions, no family ties, and no pledging/hedging permitted under policy .
• Monitoring needed: Committee assignment and attendance for Curran post‑appointment are not yet disclosed; future filings (proxy/8‑K Item 5.07/Section 16) should be reviewed for engagement and ownership updates .