Dr. Richard Glickman reports
PHARMA INDUSTRY VETERAN DR. GEORGE MILNE JOINS AURINIA'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has appointed Dr. George M.
Milne Jr., PhD, to its board of directors. Prior to his retirement,
Dr. Milne served as executive vice-president of global research and
development and president of worldwide strategic and operations
management at Pfizer. Dr. Milne serves on multiple corporate boards
including Charles River Laboratories where he is the lead director and
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, and is venture partner at Radius Ventures.
"George has made significant contributions to the pharmaceutical sector
during his successful career. His experience in the boardroom will
prove extremely valuable as we approach the next crucial stage of
development as a company working to advance voclosporin to market while
exploring potential additional indications for the compound," said
Dr. Richard M. Glickman, chief executive officer of Aurinia.
Dr. Milne has over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and
product development. He joined Pfizer in 1970 and held a variety of
positions conducting both chemistry and pharmacology research. Dr. Milne
became director of the department of immunology and infectious diseases
at Pfizer in 1981, was its executive director from 1984 to 1985, and was
vice-president of research and development from 1985 to 1988. He was
appointed senior vice-president in 1988. In 1993 he was appointed
president of Pfizer Central Research and a senior vice-president of
Pfizer with global responsibility for human and veterinary medicine research and development.
Dr. Milne has served on multiple corporate boards including
Mettler-Toledo Inc., MedImmune, Athersys, Biostorage Technologies,
Aspreva and Conor Medsystems. Dr. Milne received his BSc in chemistry
from Yale University and his PhD in organic chemistry from MIT.
"Aurinia has demonstrated its leadership in advancing a viable treatment
option for patients suffering from lupus nephritis," added Dr. Milne.
"I look forward to working alongside this exceptional team and sharing
my expertise as we pursue a successful future for the company."
Additionally, the company announced that Dr. Greg Ayers has resigned
from Aurinia's board of directors, effective immediately. "On behalf of
the board of directors, I thank Greg for his service and contributions
and wish him well in future endeavours," added Dr. Glickman.
About voclosporin
Voclosporin, an investigational drug, is a novel and potentially
best-in-class calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) with clinical trial data in
over 2,200 patients across indications. Voclosporin is an
immunosuppressant, with a synergistic and dual mechanism of action that
has the potential to improve near- and long-term outcomes in lupus nephritis when
added to standard of care (MMF). By inhibiting calcineurin, voclosporin
blocks IL-2 expression and T-cell mediated immune responses. Voclosporin
is made by a modification of a single amino acid of the cyclosporine
molecule which results in a more predictable pharmacokinetic and
pharmacodynamic relationship with potential for flat dosing. In
addition, voclosporin is more potent than and has an improved metabolic
profile versus cyclosporine. Aurinia anticipates that upon regulatory
approval, patent protection for voclosporin will be extended in the
United States and certain other major markets, including Europe and
Japan, until at least October, 2027, under the Hatch-Waxman Act and
comparable laws in other countries.
About lupus nephritis (LN)
LN, an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus
(SLE), represents a serious progression of SLE. SLE is a chronic,
complex and often disabling disorder that affects more than 500,000
people in the United States (mostly women). The disease is highly
heterogeneous, affecting a wide range of organs and tissue systems. It is
estimated that as many as 60 per cent of all SLE patients have clinical LN
requiring treatment. Unlike SLE, LN has a strong surrogate marker,
proteinuria, which correlates with meaningful longer term clinical
outcome. In patients with LN, renal damage results in proteinuria and/or
hematuria and a decrease in renal function as evidenced by reduced
estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and increased serum
creatinine levels. LN is debilitating and costly and if poorly
controlled, LN can lead to permanent and irreversible tissue damage
within the kidney, resulting in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), thus
making LN a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.
About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Aurinia is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on
developing and commercializing therapies to treat targeted patient
populations that are suffering from serious diseases with a high unmet
medical need. Aurinia is currently developing voclosporin, an
investigational drug, for the treatment of LN. Aurinia is headquartered
in Victoria, B.C., and focuses its development efforts globally.
We seek Safe Harbor.
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