Drs. Jenkins and Stebbing join Etira Board
Dallas, TX – October 8, 2024: Etira, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing breakthrough cancer therapies, announced the appointment of Annalisa Jenkins, MBBS, FRCP and Justin Stebbing, BM, BCh, MA (oxon), FRCP FRCPath, MD, PhD to its Board of Directors. The new board members bring a strong blend of clinical, technical, and commercial experience and expertise.
Dr. Jenkins is a biopharmaceutical executive bringing over 25 years of global industry experience, with a proven track record of advancing innovative healthcare solutions across global markets. Dr. Jenkins held senior leadership roles at several prominent biopharma companies, including as president and CEO of Dimension Therapeutics, acquired by Ultragenyx, multiple senior roles at Bristol Myers-Squibb and head of global research and development at Merck Serono.
Dr. Jenkins added, “I am excited to join Etira at this important moment in time as its lead asset is entering clinical phase testing. The company’s novel approach to induce endoplasmic reticulum stress in solid tumors is intriguing and has the potential to target hard to treat cancers. I look forward to working with the team to help bring these potentially life-changing therapies to patients.”
Dr. Jenkins previously served as a committee member of the Science Board to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and as Chair of The Court, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She also serves as a Trustee of Cancer Research Horizons and on the Board of Genomics England and has been recognized for her leadership in the life sciences industry. Dr. Jenkins earned her medical degree from St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in the University of London and was a medical officer in the British Royal Navy.
Dr. Stebbing is a clinician-scientist, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge and Editor-in-Chief of Oncogene. Specializing in oncology and cancer research, Dr. Stebbing has published over 650 peer-reviewed papers. He has also been the Principal Investigator on a large number of clinical studies of novel/innovative compounds.
Dr. Stebbing commented, “ERX-315 represents the best example I’ve seen in years of a treatment that could radically alter the current paradigm in cancer care. I look forward to working with the exceptional team at Etira to advance this innovative therapy and bring new hope to patients facing some of the most challenging cancers.”
Dr. Stebbing led many of the mechanistic, laboratory and global studies leading to baricitinib’s FDA approval in November 2020. Dr. Stebbing was previously Professor of Oncology at Imperial College from 2009-2022. He was awarded the NIHR’s first research translational professorship and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Stebbing trained at Trinity College, Oxford, and completed his medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA and at the Royal Marsden, St Bart’s Hospitals.
“Together, Drs. Jenkins and Stebbing bring significant clinical drug development expertise and their guidance will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline of innovative therapies through the clinic,” said Russell Hayward, CEO Etira.
About Etira
Etira is a clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to improving the outcomes of patients with advanced cancers, using proprietary oligobenzamide-based peptidomimetics to target protein-protein interactions. Etira has a robust pipeline of agents targeting specific protein interactions. For more information, please visit www.etira.life
Etira has advanced its lead asset ERX-315 which targets the interactions of the protein encoded by the lysosomal acid lipase A (LIPA) gene. Etira has started screening patients for enrollment in its clinical trial titled “A Phase 1 Trial of ERX-315 in Participants with Advanced Solid Tumors”. The trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of ERX-315 in in patients with advanced solid tumors, who have progressed on prior approved systemic therapies. Interested individuals can learn more about the trial, eligibility criteria, and how to participate by visiting the link here: ERX-315 Clinical Trial.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events, Etira’s future operating performance and goals, the anticipated benefits of therapies, expectations, beliefs and development objectives for Etira’s product pipeline and clinical trials. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Etira and its management, are inherently uncertain. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: Etira has limited experience conducting clinical trials (and will rely on a third party to operate its clinical trials) and may not be able to complete the clinical trial (including opening clinical trial sites, dosing additional patients, and enrolling and dosing an adequate number of clinical trial participants) when expected and may not generate results (including final or initial safety, tolerability and efficacy data in the anticipated timeframe (or at all); benefits of product candidates seen in preclinical analyses may not be evident when tested in clinical trials or when used in broader patient populations (if approved for commercial sale); Etira has a limited operating history and has not generated any revenue to date from product sales, and may never become profitable; other companies may be able to identify and develop product candidates more quickly than the Company and commercially introduce the product prior to the Company; the Company may not be able to file INDs for development candidates on time, or at all, due to technical or financial reasons or otherwise; the Company may utilize cash resources more quickly than anticipated; Etira will need to raise capital in the future and if we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, scale back or discontinue some of our development programs or future commercialization efforts (which may delay filing of INDs, dosing patients, reporting clinical trial results and filing new drug applications); we may be unable to advance our preclinical development programs into and through the clinic for safety or efficacy reasons or commercialize our product candidates or we may experience significant delays in doing so as a result of factors beyond Etira’s control; the Company may not be able to realize the benefits of Fast Track designation (and such designation may not advance any anticipated approval timelines); Etira may expend limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success; our products candidates may cause adverse or other undesirable side effects (or may not show requisite efficacy) that could, among other things, delay or prevent regulatory approval; our dependence on third parties for conducting clinical trials and producing drug product; our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection for our technology and product candidates or the scope of intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad; and delays and other impact on the clinical trial. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this presentation, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Etira specifically disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements.
