Brighton, UK, October 17, 2016 – Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd, a drug discovery company dedicated to the research and development of novel therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases, today announced that it has appointed Dr. John Ford as CEO with immediate effect.
Enterprise Therapeutics is developing novel muco-regulatory therapies for patients suffering with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and severe asthma. To achieve this the Company is targeting mechanisms that increase the clearance of mucus or reduce levels of mucus production, in order to alleviate the symptoms and complications associated with respiratory disease.
Dr. Ford is a successful biotechnology entrepreneur who has co-founded Xention, Ario Pharma and Metrion Biosciences. Recently, he was a member of the Executive Team at Dezima that developed TA-8995 for dyslipidaemia and later sold the company to Amgen in 2015 for up to $1.55b. He obtained his BSc and PhD at the University of Leeds, where he worked on the structure and function of TRP channels. Dr. Ford has over 18 years’ ion channel research, drug discovery and development experience.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Peter Finan, Chairman Enterprise Therapeutics, said: “John’s experience in ion channels, drug development, and biotech fundraising, position him uniquely to lead Enterprise Therapeutics moving forward. His expertise will complement the existing team and we are thrilled to have him on board.”
Dr. John Ford commented: “I am delighted to have joined Enterprise Therapeutics at an exciting time for the company. Respiratory disease remains an area of high unmet medical need, especially in the area of Cystic Fibrosis where existing therapies do not treat all patients. Our mission is to discover new disease modifying therapies that target the underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion, which will reduce the frequency of lung infections and improve patient quality of life. I look forward to working with the team and our investors in this important next stage of growth.”
About Enterprise Therapeutics
Enterprise Therapeutics is a drug discovery company dedicated to the research and development of novel therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases. The company is backed by Epidarex Capital and Imperial Innovations and based in the UK.
In diseases such as cystic fibrosis, asthma and COPD the lungs become congested with mucus leading to difficulty in breathing. Enterprise Therapeutics scientific strategy is aimed at discovering new disease modifying therapies that target the underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion which will reduce the frequency of lung infections and improve patient quality of life. These novel muco-regulatory therapies will be achieved through targeting TMEM16A and ENaC to increase the hydration and clearance of mucus. Enterprise has also identified novel targets and compounds that reduce mucus production, an approach that compliments mucus hydration therapies.
Its management team has significant expertise in drug discovery, drug development, respiratory biology and ion channel pharmacology. The company benefits from a close working relationship with the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex.
About Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
CF is the most common lethal genetic disease of Caucasians with an estimated 100,000 patients worldwide. The average life expectancy, although improving, is approximately 40 years. About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) COPD is a chronic disease characterized by a progressive and irreversible decrease in lung function. Globally, COPD is reported to affect over 300 million people and in 2012 was the world’s third highest killer. The estimated economic cost of COPD is >$2 trillion.
About Severe Asthma
Patients with severe asthma are either refractory or poorly managed by current therapies (bronchodilators, steroids). Severe asthma patients comprise around 5% of the estimated 300 million global asthma patients.
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