OxThera Announces the Appointment of Dr Alain Munoz to its Board of Directors
12 Jun, 2018, 16:57 BST
STOCKHOLM, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
OxThera AB, a Stockholm-based privately-held biopharmaceutical company with a product in late stage clinical development focusing on Primary hyperoxaluria (PH), announces the appointment of Dr Alain Munoz to its board of directors.
"It is my pleasure to welcome Alain to the board of Oxthera," said Dr. Georges Gemayel, Chairman of Oxthera. "His deep industry experience and successful track record of clinical development and business leadership over his career will be of important value to Oxthera in its development of Oxabact for treating Primary hyperoxaluria."
"I am honored to join Oxthera," says Alain Munoz. "I believe the company is poised to make a real difference in patients suffering from this devastating rare disease. I am excited to share my insights with the OxThera Board and its management team to help the company deliver on the promise of this new therapy."
Alain has an MD in Cardiology and Anesthesiology and was the head of the Cardiology department at the University Hospital of Montpellier-Nimes. Alain has numerous publications and has been a member of the scientific committee of the French Drug Agency. Alain has over 25 years' experience in the pharmaceutical industry as a senior executive within the Sanofi Group and with Fournier Laboratories. He has an in-depth knowledge of the EU, US and Japanese regulatory process and markets. Under his leadership numerous NDA's were obtained world-wide (Adenocard®, Plavix®, Lipanthyl®/Tricor™, Esclim®, Ikervis®) Alain is Chairman of the Strategic Board of Hybrigenics (ALHYG.PA), a board member of Valneva SE (VLA), a board member of Zealand Pharma (ZEAL),and adviser to KURMA Biofund.
OxThera is developing a novel treatment, Oxabact, for Primary hyperoxaluria (PH), a fatal disease in children, and where there are currently no available therapies. The company recently initiated a pivotal Phase III study in PH with Oxabact in order to stop and/or delay disease progression. Oxabact is an oral product, composed of highly concentrated freeze-dried live bacteria (Oxalobacter formigenes). This commensal bacteria promotes the enteric elimination of oxalate, thereby reducing the oxalate burden in the kidneys.
PH is a rare autosomal recessive disorder leading to markedly elevated levels of endogenous oxalate causing kidney deterioration and a gradual calcification of soft tissues. If left untreated, the disease can cause kidney failure and premature death. Currently, the sole available cure is a combined transplantation of liver and kidneys.
Oxabact holds orphan drug designations in the EU and the US for the treatment of PH, and in EU for treatment of Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS).
About OxThera
OxThera holds worldwide rights for compositions and methods of use for treatment of hyperoxaluria for two products; Oxabact and Oxazyme. Oxthera has a strong international investor consortium including LSP, Kurma, Industrifonden, Sunstone, Ysios and Fleurie Investments.
SOURCE OxThera AB