- Kyle Robertson has been replaced as Cerebral’s CEO by Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Mou.
- Robertson co-founded the mental health startup in 2020.
- The move comes as Cerebral faces scrutiny over how it prescribes the highly regulated drug.
Kyle Robertson has just been replaced as CEO of mental health startup Cerebral, according to a statement sent to Insider.
Cerebral will replace Robertson with the company’s chief medical officer, Dr. David Mou, the company said in a statement. Cerebral’s chief operating officer, Jessica Muse, will retain her operating title and serve as president. Dr. Thomas Insel, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, will join Cerebral’s board of directors.
Cerebral, which offers mental health treatment and medication online, has faced increased scrutiny in recent months over how it prescribes controlled substances to treat conditions like anxiety and ADHD. Highly regulated drugs have the potential to be addictive, and are often not prescribed to people without seeing a clinician in person.
Cerebral said this week that it will stop prescribing most of these highly regulated drugs amid major changes in its business, Insider Scoop.
In a memo on Wednesday, Robertson called the board’s move to replace him illegal and said directors sought to blame him for the company’s problems, The Wall Street Journal reported. Robertson did not immediately return a message from Insider seeking comment for this story.
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Cerebral’s board had agreed to a plan to replace Robertson after some members lost confidence in his leadership. According to The Wall Street Journal, they believe the company is aggressively pushing for ADHD treatment, and Robertson is reluctant to follow the advice of medical staff.
As of Tuesday evening, Robertson had not agreed to resign but had no access to the company’s
relaxation
Messaging system, without notice, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“We thank Kyle for his service,” Mou said in the statement. “His vision has made Cerebral what it is today: a leading provider of much-needed mental health services for people who have no or no access to treatment.”
Dr. David Mou of Cerebral.
brain
The brain has faced increased scrutiny in recent months
Robertson co-founded the company after graduating from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.It was launched in January 2020, and strong momentum During the pandemic, doctor visits have moved online. In particular, it started prescribing controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines like Xanax to treat conditions like anxiety, and stimulants like Adderall to treat ADHD.
Before the pandemic, federal law prohibited clinicians from prescribing such highly regulated drugs to patients without seeing them in person. Those rules have been relaxed during the pandemic, and Cerebral is one of the few companies to start prescribing controlled substances after accessing it online.
In the two years since its launch, Cerebral has attracted cash from venture capital firms including SoftBank, Oak HC/FT. it is $4.8 billion in December After closing a $300 million financing round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
Jessica Muse, Chief Operating Officer of Cerebral.
brain
But over the past few months, the startup has faced questions about its prescribing practices, from sources news mediaindustry observers and a former executive submitted a litigation in April.
The national pharmacy chain has expressed concern that clinicians from Cerebral and another company are prescribing too many stimulants, Wall Street Journal reported in April.
Federal agencies also took notice of Cerebral.this US Drug Enforcement Administration and US Department of Justice The startup is being investigated because Insider first reported in May.
This culminated in the brain’s radical change to controlled substances on Monday.A sort of The leaked email was first reported by Insider It said the company’s clinicians will stop prescribing most controlled substances to new patients starting May 20, and to existing patients starting October 15.
While joining Cerebral’s board, Insel, a former federal mental health official, touted the startup’s ability to expand access to health care.
“I look forward to joining this effort and to pledge that the company is fully focused on this unprecedented opportunity to provide the highest quality mental health care to millions of people who previously had no access to treatment and therefore could not benefit from effective medical and psychotherapy. service,” he said in a statement.
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