Ventus Therapeutics Appoints Mona Kotecha, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

WALTHAM, Mass. & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ventus Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with two novel small-molecule programs entering Phase 2 development for immunology, inflammation, and neurology disorders, today announced the appointment of Mona Kotecha, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Kotecha has an extensive track record in drug development and corporate leadership, bringing 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and patient care.

“Mona brings an invaluable perspective to Ventus from her decades-long career both as a treating physician and in drug development, including as a CMO. Her extensive development experience in immunology, inflammation, and neurology will further strengthen our team as we advance VENT-03, our first-in-class cGAS inhibitor, and VENT-02, our best-in-class NLRP3 inhibitor, into multiple Phase 2 trials this year,” said Marcelo Bigal, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of Ventus. “Mona’s deep expertise and distinguished presence within the biotech ecosystem will be crucial as we engage key stakeholders and bring VENT-02 and VENT-03 closer to becoming leading therapies in our disease areas of focus.”

Dr. Kotecha joins Ventus from ExploR&D, a division of Eli Lilly's Catalyze360, where she served as Chief Medical Officer. Prior to Eli Lilly, Dr. Kotecha led clinical development for pain and psychiatry at Biogen, where she was the clinical lead for the partnered development of zuranolone in depressive disorders. She was previously at Gilead Sciences, where she was instrumental in the development of Jyseleca in immunology and inflammation. In addition to her industry experience, Dr. Kotecha is a board-certified anesthesiologist and acute pain specialist. She trained as a physician at the University of California-San Francisco and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and she received her M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine and B.A. from Dartmouth College.

“Ventus is building a powerful pipeline of novel, first- and best-in-class small molecule medicines that have the potential to be groundbreaking in immunology, inflammation, and neurology,” said Dr. Kotecha. “After spending years as a practicing physician and in drug development, I have seen firsthand the unmet medical need these potential therapeutics could fulfill. I am excited to be joining Ventus at this pivotal moment in the company’s development of VENT-03 and VENT-02, and I look forward to working alongside this talented team to successfully advance these programs in multiple Phase 2 trials and beyond.”

About Ventus Therapeutics

Ventus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with two novel small-molecule programs entering Phase 2 development for immunology, inflammation, and neurology disorders. Using its proprietary drug discovery platform, ReSOLVE^®, the company has established a robust pipeline, including two wholly-owned programs. VENT-03 is a first-in-class, oral cGAS inhibitor expected to enter Phase 2 development for lupus in 2025. VENT-02 is a best-in-class, brain-penetrant, oral NLRP3 inhibitor expected to enter Phase 2 development for Parkinson’s disease and osteoarthritis in obese patients in 2025. In addition, Ventus has out-licensed VENT-01, a peripherally-restricted, oral NLRP3 inhibitor in Phase 1, to Novo Nordisk A/S. For more information, please visit www.ventustx.com and engage with Ventus on LinkedIn.