Donn Casale becomes ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY) CEO and joins board through 2029

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

ARS Pharmaceuticals announced a leadership change, with current President Donn Casale appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He also joins the Board of Directors as a Class III director and will serve until the company’s 2029 annual meeting of stockholders.

Casale replaces Richard Lowenthal, whose employment was terminated without cause, effective immediately after notification on July 6, 2026. The filing incorporates by reference Casale’s existing biographical information previously filed with the SEC.

Insights

Corporate governance analyst

ARS Pharmaceuticals makes an immediate CEO change, elevating its President to the top role.

ARS Pharmaceuticals has transitioned leadership by promoting President Donn Casale to Chief Executive Officer and appointing him to the Board as a Class III director through the 2029 annual meeting. This consolidates executive and board-level influence in a single individual.

Former CEO Richard Lowenthal’s employment was terminated without cause, effective immediately, indicating a clear and swift change rather than a phased transition. Future company filings may provide more detail on the strategic rationale and any related compensation or severance terms.

8-K Event Classification

Item 5.02 — Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers

1 item

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers Governance

Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.

Key Terms

Chief Executive Officer, Class III director, without cause, emerging growth company

4 terms

Chief Executive Officer financial

"appointed the Company’s current President Donn Casale as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately"

A chief executive officer (CEO) is the top leader of a company, responsible for making major decisions, setting goals, and guiding the organization’s overall direction. Think of the CEO as the captain of a ship, steering it toward success. Investors pay close attention to the CEO because their leadership and strategy can significantly influence the company's performance and future growth.

Class III director financial

"Mr. Casale was also concurrently appointed to the Board as a Class III director"

A Class III director is a board member placed in one of the numbered groups used by companies with a staggered (or “classified”) board; that director’s seat typically comes up for election in the third year of a three-year rotation. For investors this matters because staggered terms create continuity but also make it harder to replace the whole board quickly, affecting shareholder influence, takeover dynamics and how fast new strategy or accountability can be implemented — like replacing only some players on a sports team each season instead of the whole roster at once.

without cause financial

"Mr. Lowenthal was notified on July 6, 2026 that his employment was being terminated without cause"

emerging growth company regulatory

"Emerging growth company    On July 7, 2026, the Board of Directors"

An emerging growth company is a recently public or smaller public firm that qualifies for temporary, lighter regulatory and disclosure rules to reduce the cost and effort of being public. For investors, it means the company may provide less historical financial detail and face fewer reporting requirements than larger firms, so it can grow more quickly but also carries higher uncertainty—like buying a promising early-stage product with fewer user reviews.

FAQ

What leadership change did ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY) disclose on July 7, 2026?

ARS Pharmaceuticals appointed its President, Donn Casale, as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He replaces Richard Lowenthal and also joins the Board as a Class III director, aligning executive leadership and board participation under Casale’s oversight.

What happened to former ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY) CEO Richard Lowenthal?

Richard Lowenthal’s employment with ARS Pharmaceuticals was terminated without cause, effective immediately. He was notified of this decision on July 6, 2026, marking an abrupt leadership transition rather than a planned or gradual succession process at the company.

What board role will new ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY) CEO Donn Casale hold?

Donn Casale has been appointed as a Class III director on the Board of Directors. He will serve in this role until ARS Pharmaceuticals’ 2029 annual meeting of stockholders, giving him a multi-year governance presence in addition to his CEO duties.

When does Donn Casale’s appointment as ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY) CEO become effective?

Donn Casale’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer is effective immediately as of the board’s decision disclosed in the filing. This means he assumed CEO responsibilities without a transition period from his previous position as President of the company.

Where can investors find Donn Casale’s background information for ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY)?

The filing states that Donn Casale’s biographical information is contained in a prior company document filed with the SEC on May 13, 2026. That earlier filing is incorporated by reference for details on his experience and qualifications.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Understanding 8-K Material Events →

Available on EDGAR 07/07/2026 - 04:39 PM Accepted by SEC EDGAR 07/07/2026 - 04:38 PM Learn about SEC filing dates

false 0001671858 0001671858 2026-07-06 2026-07-06

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

July 6, 2026

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		001-39756		81-1489190
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

11682 El Camino Real, Suite 300 San Diego, California		92130
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (858) 771-9307

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share		SPRY		The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On July 7, 2026, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed the Company’s current President Donn Casale as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, replacing Richard Lowenthal in such capacity. Mr. Casale was also concurrently appointed to the Board as a Class III director, to serve until the Company’s 2029 annual meeting of stockholders. Mr. Lowenthal was notified on July 6, 2026 that his employment was being terminated without cause, effective immediately.

Mr. Casale’s biographical information is contained in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 13, 2026, and is incorporated by reference herein.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: July 7, 2026				ARS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
				By:		/s/ Donn Casale
				Name:		Donn Casale
				Title:		President and Chief Executive Officer
						(Principal Executive Officer)

Filing Exhibits & Attachments

3 documents

Other Documents

• EX-101 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA 3.1 KB
• EX-101 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION LABEL LINKBASE 17.6 KB
• EX-101 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION PRESENTATION LINKBASE 11.0 KB