Entasis launches with a drug-resistant bacterial infections portfolio
Entasis Therapeutics, a Waltham, Mass.-based company, has launched 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 II 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 appointed Michael E. Fitzgerald chief financial officer and Chris White as chief business officer. Fitzgerald joins Entasis from Link Medicine, where he was 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’s $315 million acquisition by Eli Lilly, gives him a diverse knowledge of the industry. Chris White joins Entasis as chief business officer from AMAG Pharmaceuticals, where he was 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 million. Prior to joining AMAG, Chris was a partner in several consulting firms, including A.T. Kearney & Accenture.
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 CEO, who previously was 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 was executive director, Infection Chemistry at AstraZeneca.