UTILITY THERAPEUTICS APPOINTS FRANCESCO GRANATA AS CHAIRMAN
London, UK. 24 September 2018 – UTILITY therapeutics Ltd (“UTILITY” or “the Company”), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising antibiotics in the US, today announces the appointment of Dr Francesco Granata as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Dr Francesco Granata has held numerous senior executive positions and brings over 35 years of experience in the international biopharmaceutical industry in private equity and venture capital. He previously served as the Executive Vice President at Biogen Inc., and Group Vice President and President responsible for major European markets and Canada for Schering-Plough Corporation. He was also previously the Regional President for Northern Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Pfizer Inc., and previously the Managing Director of Pharmacia & Upjohn, Italy.
Dr Granata started his career in R&D having been Medical Director for Italy and Southern Europe at Glaxo, and a Board member of Glaxo International Research Limited. Dr Granata currently holds several Board Director positions in international pharmaceutical companies and venture capital firms. Dr Granata has also served as the Chairman of the European Committee at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and Co-Chairman of the Heads of the Europe Committee at the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. Dr Granata holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Korea.
“We are delighted to welcome Francesco as Chairman of UTILITY. Francesco brings with him exceptional and highly relevant experience and, alongside the senior management team, will help steer the strategic vision of the Company,” commented Mark Beards, Chief Executive Officer of UTILITY. “Francesco’s knowledge, particularly his experience of the US market will no doubt prove invaluable, and we look forward to working with him as we continue to focus on developing and commercialising antibiotics in the US.”
“I am very pleased to Chair the Board of UTILITY at this exciting stage in the Company’s development,” commented Francesco Granata. “With its recent IND approvals, I feel confident that UTILITY will be able to successfully access the US market for mecillinam and pivmecillinam, bringing this treatment option to US patients for the first time. I look forward to working alongside UTILITY’s senior management team to develop and prepare for the commercialisation of these antibiotics in the US, addressing a real need as antibiotic resistance continues to present a great threat to global health.”
For more information, please contact:
UTILITY therapeutics
Mark Beards, CEO
+44 203 930 9665
info@utilitytherapeutics.com
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Welsh
+44 20 3709 5700
utility@consilium-comms.com
Notes for editors:
About UTILITY therapeutics Limited
UTILITY therapeutics is focused on developing and commercialising antibiotics in the US, to address the significant threat faced by healthcare systems and patients from multi-drug resistant bacterial infections. The World Health Organisation has stated that antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.
About mecillinam/pivmecillinam
Mecillinam is a member of the penicillin subgroup of the β-lactam antibiotic class, a widely used class of antibacterial agents for the treatment of multiple serious infection types. It is available outside the US in both IV and oral formulations; the oral formulation contains the prodrug pivmecillinam HCl, while the IV formulation contains the active drug mecillinam.
Pivmecillinam and mecillinam have shown to have good safety and efficacy profiles for oral and parenteral use, respectively, through extensive clinical usage over 40 years. Currently, pivmecillinam tablets are approved in Europe, some Asiatic countries and some African countries for the treatment of uUTI (ie, acute uncomplicated cystitis) caused by bacteria susceptible to mecillinam.
Pivmecillinam is featured in the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines as a first-line therapy for uncomplicated urinary tract infections, despite it not yet being available in the US.
