WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Entasis Therapeutics, a company leveraging its expertise and a unique pathogen-targeted approach to develop and advance novel antibacterials, debuted today with a portfolio of diverse, innovative investigational drugs for the treatment of serious drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Entasis’ robust pipeline consists of clinical and preclinical programs, including ETX0914, which is a first-in-class, novel oral antibiotic currently in Phase 2 for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. ETX0914 has been designated a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) by the FDA and awarded Fast-Track status. Other preclinical programs target serious Gram-negative infections often associated with acute care settings, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Entasis’ drug discovery platform combines the use of genetic tools, molecular dynamics simulations, and modeling, to enable exploration of novel therapies in a more directed, focused way to design compounds with improved efficacy for these very challenging pathogens.
Entasis also today announced the appointment of Michael E. Fitzgerald as Chief Financial Officer and Chris White as Chief Business Officer. Michael Fitzgerald joins Entasis from Link Medicine, where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for Finance and Administration, Operations, Tax Matters, and Investor Relations. His experience in startup as well as publically held biotechnology companies, including his integral role in Hypnion Inc.’s $315 million acquisition by Eli Lily, gives him a diverse knowledge of the industry. Chris White joins Entasis as Chief Business Officer from AMAG Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Chief Business Officer and was responsible for establishing several partnerships, including a licensing, development and commercialization agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals valued at up to $280 MM. Prior to joining AMAG, Chris was a partner is several consulting firms, including A.T. Kearney & Accenture.
“We are on a mission to bring new cures to patients and clinicians who are battling serious bacterial infections and have a positive impact on the global healthcare crisis of antimicrobial resistance,” stated Manos Perros, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Entasis. “I want to welcome Chris and Michael to the company. They are both timely additions to the executive team and will play key roles in shaping the growth of Entasis.”
Entasis Therapeutics, a spinout of AstraZeneca, received $40 million in Series A funding from the company in March 2015. Entasis has 21 employees including: Manos Perros, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, who previously served as Head of Infection and Site Lead, Boston R&D at AstraZeneca; John Mueller, Ph.D., Vice President, Program Management & Early Development, who previously served as Senior Project Director, Infection Innovative Medicines & Early Development at AstraZeneca; and Ruben Tommasi, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, who previously served as Executive Director, Infection Chemistry at AstraZeneca.
About Entasis Therapeutics Inc.
Entasis Therapeutics is developing a portfolio of innovative cures for serious drug-resistant bacterial infections, a global health crisis affecting the lives of millions of patients. Our deep pipeline of novel clinical and preclinical antibacterial programs is designed to revolutionize the way physicians treat serious bacterial diseases. www.entasistx.com
