NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN) today announced the appointment of Steven Zelenkofske, D.O. to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Zelenkofske will assume responsibility for the clinical development of Achillion’s oral factor D small molecule portfolio of compounds to treat complement-mediated diseases.
In addition, Achillion also announced today the expansion of its clinical development group with the recent appointments of Laura Barrow, Pharm.D. to the position of Vice President, Clinical Operations and Head of Project Management, and Marc Uknis, M.D. to the position of Vice President of Clinical Development, Head of Nephrology Therapeutics.
“Steve has an exceptional clinical development track record, highlighted by the regulatory acceptance of multiple fast track development plans and regulatory approvals under his management. His strategic and operational leadership will greatly benefit Achillion as we accelerate our global phase 2 clinical programs and prepare for registrational trials and commercialization,” commented Joseph Truitt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Achillion. “Furthermore, the addition of Drs. Barrow and Uknis will provide operational expertise in the development of complement inhibitors for rare diseases.”
“It is a very exciting time for me to be joining Achillion as Chief Medical Officer,” stated Dr. Zelenkofske. “Achillion is uniquely positioned to potentially make a real difference in the lives of patients with devastating rare diseases and few therapeutic options. I look forward to leading the clinical development team and advancing Achillion’s complement factor D portfolio into planned phase 3 development.”
Steven Zelenkofske, D.O.
Dr. Zelenkofske brings more than 20 years of industry development experience, most recently as Chief Medical Officer of UniQure, a clinical stage gene therapy company, and previously as Chief Medical Officer of Regado Biosciences. He has also held leadership positions at Astra-Zeneca, Sanofi-Aventis, Boston Scientific and Novartis.
Dr. Zelenkofske completed his residency training at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, followed by fellowships in cardiology and electrophysiology at Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia, and St. Luke’s Hospital, New York, respectively. He is a graduate of Emory University, where he also earned a Master of Science degree in immunopharmacology. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathy from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the American College of Osteopathic Internists.
Laura Barrow, Pharm.D.
Dr. Barrow has been in industry over 30 years developing several drugs from the clinic to market. She has the breadth and depth of knowledge and experiences in drug development, clinical operations, project management, and compliance in both large pharma and smaller biotech companies including Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer and Synergy. Most recently, she worked at Synergy Pharmaceuticals where she progressed a lead program from early phase 2 to a marketed compound. She received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from St. John’s University, completed the first Rutger’s College of Pharmacy Industrial fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology, and has a certificate in Organizational Effectiveness from Villanova University.
Marc Uknis, M.D.
Dr. Uknis was trained in Transplant Surgery at the University of Minnesota and performed hundreds of kidney, liver, pancreas and small intestine transplants as head of programs at Harvard and then University of Massachusetts Medical School where he still holds an adjunct professorship in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.
Dr. Uknis joined the industry full time more than ten years ago and has held positions of increasing responsibility with ViroPharma, ViroPharma/Shire and CSL Behring. At each of those companies, he led clinical development programs for complement inhibition in rare diseases, gaining alignment with Regulatory Authorities for multiple accelerated approval developmental programs. Dr. Uknis also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from George Washington University and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
About Achillion Pharmaceuticals
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing its oral factor D inhibitors into late-stage development and commercialization. Each of the drug candidates in the Company’s oral factor D portfolio was discovered in its laboratories and is wholly owned. Achillion is focusing its drug development activities on alternative pathway-mediated, rare diseases where there are no approved therapies or where existing therapies are inadequate for patients. To advance its investigational drugs into phase 3 and commercialization, the Company plans to work closely with key stakeholders including patients, payors, regulators and healthcare professionals. More information is available at http://www.achillion.com.
