SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX), a biotechnology company developing novel anti-infectives including immunotherapies, today announced that Taylor Sandison, M.D., M.P.H., has been named chief medical officer (CMO) of the company. Dr. Sandison has been serving as acting chief medical officer of Cidara since September 2016. As CMO, he will continue to lead the global clinical development of CD101 IV, Cidara’s novel echinocandin antifungal, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, as well as the expanding pipeline of anti-infective candidates generated by the company’s Cloudbreak™ immunotherapy platform.
“Dr. Sandison’s depth and breadth of experience in anti-infective clinical development has been tremendously valuable to Cidara,” said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cidara. “We are fortunate to have his clinical leadership as we advance our portfolio of drug candidates to treat serious fungal and bacterial infections.”
Dr. Sandison has been with Cidara since October 2015, first serving as the company’s senior medical director. Prior to joining Cidara, he served as senior medical director at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from July 2014 to January 2015 and then, following Merck’s acquisition of Cubist, as senior medical director at Merck from February to October 2015. Dr. Sandison also has held positions at Trius Therapeutics and Novartis Diagnostics, and served as a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at both Stanford University and the University of Washington.
Dr. Sandison received B.S. and B.A. degrees from Dartmouth College, and M.D. and M.P.H. degrees from the University of Washington. He completed residency training at the University of Colorado and fellowship training at the University of Washington, and holds board certifications in both infectious diseases and internal medicine.
About Cidara Therapeutics
Cidara is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new anti-infectives that have the potential to transform the standard of care and save or improve patients’ lives. The company is currently advancing its novel echinocandin antifungal, CD101 IV, through Phase 2 clinical trials and is developing CD201, a bispecific immunotherapy, for the treatment of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. CD101 IV has improved pharmacokinetics and expanded utility across patient settings compared to existing echinocandins. CD101 IV is the only once-weekly therapy intended for the treatment and prevention of life-threatening invasive fungal infections. CD201 is the first drug candidate selected from Cidara’s novel Cloudbreak™ immunotherapy platform and is designed to specifically direct a patient’s immune cells to attack and kill bacterial pathogens. Cidara recently received a grant for up to $6.9 million from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Accelerator) to advance the development of CD201. Cidara is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.cidara.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the effectiveness, safety, and other attributes of CD101 and CD201 and other potential product candidates, including the potential for these compounds to successfully treat fungal or bacterial infections, including those caused by resistant pathogens, and potentially transform the way infectious diseases are treated, and the potential for the Cloudbreak platform to result in future drug candidates. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: the success and timing of Cidara’s preclinical studies and clinical trials; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; changes in Cidara’s plans to develop and commercialize its product candidates; Cidara’s ability to obtain additional financing; Cidara’s ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its product candidates; and the loss of key scientific or management personnel. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Cidara’s Form 10-K most recently filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Cidara undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
