SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aridis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARDS), a biopharmaceutical
company focused on the discovery and development of novel
anti-infective therapies to treat life-threatening bacterial
infections, announced today that it has appointed Paul Mendelman, MD as interim Chief Medical
Officer (CMO). Dr. Mendelman replaces Dr. Wolfgang Dummer who has departed the company for
personal reasons.
"It is a pleasure to welcome Dr. Mendelman, a recognized leader
in the development of new treatments for infectious diseases to the
Aridis team. His expertise comes at a critical juncture for the
company given we are advancing multiple clinical programs,
including our lead Phase 3 antibody program, AR-301, which can
benefit from additional infectious disease expertise particularly
in critical care (ICU) settings," commented Vu Truong, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of
Aridis Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Mendelman brings to Aridis a prolific career in infectious
diseases across industry and academia spanning over 30 years with
board certification in pediatrics and pediatric infectious
diseases. He has held senior clinical development positions at
leading companies such as Takeda Vaccines (Vice President,
Medical), MedImmune (Vice President & Therapeutic Area Leader,
Clinical Development), and Merck (Director, Clinical Research
Infectious Diseases). From 1996 to 2005, he managed the clinical
development group for FluMist®, the live attenuated intranasal
influenza vaccine, licensed initially in the U.S. for the 2003-04
season.
Dr. Mendelman earned his BS and MD degrees at The Ohio State University, and completed post-graduate
training at the University of Colorado
Medical Center in Denver. His
infectious disease fellowship at the University of Washington, School of Medicine, and
Seattle Children's Hospital was followed by his joining that
faculty and later serving as consulting Professor of Pediatrics at
Stanford University School of Medicine.
He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and
authored many published book chapters.
Dr. Mendelman's initial priority will be to manage the Company's
ongoing Phase 3 for AR-301 in patients with ventilator associated
pneumonia (VAP) and the ongoing Phase 1/2a for AR-501 in patients
with cystic fibrosis. He will also work closely with the Aridis
team in overseeing the ongoing analysis of results from the
Company's recent AR-105 Phase 2 for the treatment of VAP caused by
gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
"I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work on these
innovative anti-infectives, which are clearly differentiated from
antibiotics and have significant potentials to impact the landscape
of infectious diseases treatments," commented Dr. Mendelman.
About Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Aridis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discovers and develops anti-infectives to be
used as add-on treatments to standard-of-care antibiotics. The
Company is utilizing its proprietary MabIgX® technology platform to
rapidly identify rare, potent antibody-producing B-cells from
patients who have successfully overcome an infection to produce
mAbs. These mAbs are already of human origin and functionally
optimized for high potency by the donor's immune system; hence,
they do not require genetic engineering or further optimization to
achieve full functionality. MabIgX® also allows for the selection
of any antibody isotype depending on the optimal effector function
required for treating the target infection. By bypassing the
humanization and binding sequence optimization steps, and the
entire process of generation of genetically engineered antibody
producing cell lines, MabIgX® enables high gross-margins and
expedited progression to clinical development.
The Company has generated multiple clinical stage mAbs targeting
bacteria that cause life-threatening infections such as VAP and
HAP. The use of mAbs as anti-infective treatments represents an
innovative therapeutic approach that harnesses the human immune
system to fight infections and is designed to overcome the
deficiencies associated with the current standard of care which is
broad spectrum antibiotics. Such deficiencies include, but are not
limited to, increasing drug resistance, short duration of efficacy,
disruption of the normal flora of the human microbiome and lack of
differentiation among current treatments. The mAb portfolio is
complemented by a non-antibiotic novel mechanism small molecule
anti-infective candidate being developed to treat lung infections
in cystic fibrosis patients. The company's pipeline is highlighted
below:
Aridis' Pipeline
AR-301 (VAP). AR-301 is a
fully human immunoglobulin 1, or IgG1, mAb currently in Phase 3
clinical development targeting gram-positive S.
aureus alpha-toxin in VAP patients.
AR-101 (HAP). AR-101 is a fully human immunoglobulin
M, or IgM, mAb targeting P.
aeruginosa liposaccharides serotype O11, which accounts
for approximately 22% of all P.
aeruginosa hospital acquired pneumonia cases
worldwide.
AR-501 (cystic fibrosis). AR-501 is an inhaled
formulation of gallium citrate with broad-spectrum anti-infective
activity being developed to treat chronic lung infections in cystic
fibrosis patients. This program is currently in a Phase 1/2a
clinical study in healthy volunteers and CF patients.
AR-401 (blood stream infections). AR-401 is a fully
human mAb preclinical program aimed at treating infections caused
by gram-negative Acinetobacter baumannii.
AR-201 (RSV infection). AR-201 is a fully human IgG1
mAb preclinical program aimed at neutralizing diverse clinical
isolates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
For additional information on Aridis Pharmaceuticals, please
visit https://aridispharma.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this
press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. These statements may be identified by
the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "forecast,"
"estimated" and "intend" or other similar terms or expressions that
concern Aridis' expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. These
forward-looking statements are based on Aridis' current
expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are
a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements.
These factors include, but are not limited to, the timing of
regulatory submissions, Aridis' ability to obtain and maintain
regulatory approval of its existing product candidates and any
other product candidates it may develop, approvals for clinical
trials may be delayed or withheld by regulatory agencies, risks
relating to the timing and costs of clinical trials, risks
associated with obtaining funding from third parties, management
and employee operations and execution risks, loss of key personnel,
competition, risks related to market acceptance of products,
intellectual property risks, risks associated with the uncertainty
of future financial results, Aridis' ability to attract
collaborators and partners and risks associated with Aridis'
reliance on third party organizations. While the list of factors
presented here is considered representative, no such list should be
considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and
uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional
obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Actual
results could differ materially from those described or implied by
such forward-looking statements as a result of various important
factors, including, without limitation, market conditions and the
factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Aridis' 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2018
and Aridis' other filings made with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Forward-looking statements included herein are made as
of the date hereof, and Aridis does not undertake any obligation to
update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
Contact:
Investor Relations
Jason Wong
Blueprint Life Science Group
jwong@bplifescience.com
(415) 375-3340 Ext. 4
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SOURCE Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.