STEVENAGE, England,
December 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Appointments bolster team dedicated
to bringing osteoarthritis drug to market
AKL Research and Development (AKLRD), a company developing an
investigational osteoarthritis (OA) medicine, today announces the
appointment of Dr Annalisa Jenkins
and Lord Michael Grade as
advisors.
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)
Dr Jenkins is former Head of Global Research & Development
and Executive Vice President Global Development & Medical at
Merck Serono. Lord Grade is former Chairman of the BBC.
Current Chief Operating Officer (COO) of AKLRD David Miles has
been promoted to Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing previous
CEO David Sharples who becomes
Chairman. Clinical Scientist Alan
Reynolds, who has extensive experience in inflammation and
autoimmune disease treatments, has taken the role of Chief Science
Officer (CSO).
The new appointments and change of roles come as AKL enters its
next phase of bringing its investigational medicine APPA to market.
Currently in Phase I clinical trials at Liverpool University, APPA is an NFkB and Nrf2
modulator which harnesses the power of two secondary metabolites of
plant origin in a fully synthetic oral therapy and is a potential
novel treatment for OA.
Dr Jenkins says: "Osteoarthritis is a condition which causes
significant pain and disability every day for millions of people
across the world. With few effective treatments available, APPA has
the potential to offer meaningful improvements and new
opportunities for people living with the disease. AKLRD is
dedicated to novel approaches to drug development through
collaborations with companies which are embracing innovation with
the shared common purpose of improving the lives of patients
globally. I am excited to join AKLRD at this crucial time."
Speaking about his advisory role, Lord Grade says: "This is an
exciting time for everyone at AKLRD, both in terms of APPA's
development and the company's pioneering approach to identifying
new medicines. I am delighted to help bring this important drug to
market."
New CEO of AKLRD, David Miles,
says: "We are extremely pleased to welcome both Annalisa and
Michael as advisors at such an important time in the development of
APPA, our investigational treatment for osteoarthritis. The
pioneering nature of AKL's drug development fits particularly well
with the expertise and reputation in business of both our new
advisors and I know that their depth of knowledge and experience
will continue to drive us forward during this important phase."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Profiles of AKLRD's new
appointments:
Dr Annalisa Jenkins
MBBS FRCP
Advisor
PlaqueTec CEO Dr Annalisa Jenkins
is a life sciences thought leader with more than 25 years of
biopharmaceutical industry experience. Former leadership roles
include as Head of Global Research and Development and Executive
Vice President Global Development and Medical at Merck Serono and
Senior Vice President and Head of Global Medical Affairs at Bristol
Myers-Squibb. Dr Jenkins is a board member of several public and
private growing companies in Europe and the US and is on the Science Board
of the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Chair of The Court
at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and serves
on the Task Force UK board of the US Center for Talent
Innovation.
Lord Grade CBE
Advisor
Lord Grade has been a long-term supporter of and founder
investor in AKLRD and now continues to do so formally as an Advisor
to the company. Lord Grade has a long and distinguished career in
broadcasting both for the BBC, ITV, and also more than nine years
as Chief Executive of Channel Four Television. Away from
television, Lord Grade oversaw the successful restructuring of
First Leisure. He has served as Chairman of Pinewood Shepperton
Group, Ocado and Camelot. He is a trustee of the Science Museum
Group.
David Miles
CEO
David Miles, formerly COO of
AKLRD, was previously Head of Inflammatory Diseases in Europe for Pfizer. He brings national and
global experience from both biotech start ups and established
pharma demonstrating increasing roles of responsibility managing
commercial, medical and access teams as they progress products from
innovation to commercial reality.
Alan Reynolds
CSO
Alan Reynolds is a Clinical
Scientist with wide-ranging experience across a number of
inflammatory conditions including musculo skeletal. He was
previously European Clinical Science Director Inflammation for
Wyeth/Pfizer, responsible for providing European input into global
research and publication strategies and leading health economic
submissions to NICE for the biologic autoimmune treatment Enbrel
(etanercept). He is a member of the Treatment Subcommittee of
Versus Arthritis, the UK's leading Arthritis charity.
David Sharples
Chairman
With a wealth of experience in business, David Sharples, former CEO of AKLRD, specialises
in recruiting and supervising strong management teams. He has held
extensive senior management roles including securing successful
fundraising bids, commercial deals and company trade sales.
About APPA
- As we age there is a greater potential for the body's
inflammatory response to malfunction, initiating a cascade of
activity that can result in chronic, degenerative diseases of
inflammation, such as OA. The 'holy grail' of
anti-inflammatory targeting is to block these tissue-damaging
activities without compromising host defence mechanisms.
- APPA is a patented fixed combination of two synthetically
produced, synergistic, secondary metabolites of plant origin which
exerts its anti-inflammatory effect through modulation of NFkB and
Nrf2 pathways. Related to innate immune responses, AKL4 inhibits
the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).
- APPA has demonstrated pain relief, improved functionality and
slowed cartilage destruction in animal models of osteoarthritis
(OA), something that no approved drug has been shown to
do1.
- APPA is unique because it directly affects inflammation at its
source by re-balancing intracellular signalling molecules, NFkB and
Nrf2. APPA regulates rather than totally blocking the immune
response, allowing the body to maintain host defence
mechanisms[1]. Current medicines in OA
typically focus on pain relief only as a short-term solution.
- Journalists can request the "About APPA"
Backgrounder for more information.
About AKLRD
- AKL Research & Development Ltd.'s focus is primarily
inflammatory diseases, particularly those related to dysregulation
of the innate immune system.
- AKLRD identifies secondary metabolites of plant origin with
proven efficacy and safety. These metabolites are then synthesized
before undergoing standard pharmaceutical clinical development.
This innovative approach greatly increases the chances of success,
while reducing the probability of unexpected side effects.
- AKLRD's lead asset APPA, is currently in phase I in
Osteoarthritis, a highly prevalent and devastating disease with
limited treatment options and no cure
- AKLRD is based at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst,
Stevenage, Herts UK. http://www.aklrd.com
About Osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, debilitating, degenerative
disease of the joints involving the cartilage and its surrounding
tissues.2
- The FDA has recently classed OA 'a serious
disease'.3 It is the most common type of arthritis in
the UK, affecting 8.75 million people, a number expected to more
than double by
2030.4,5,6
- High economic burden (>2% GDP). In US annual medical costs
associated with OA are $185B7
- More than half of all people over the age of 65 have OA, and it
is the third most rapidly rising condition globally, just behind
diabetes and dementia.8
- The incidence of hand, hip and knee OA increases with age, and
women are more commonly affected than men, especially over the age
of 50.5
- Risk factors include obesity, joint abnormalities, occupation
and genetics.7 The knee is most commonly affected,
followed by the hip and hands/wrists.6
- Journalists can request the "About
Osteoarthritis" Backgrounder for more information.
1. Cross A, et al. Effects of APPA on human neutrophil function.
2016 OARSI, Volume 24, S335 - S336
2. Litwic A, et al. Epidemiology and burden of
osteoarthritis. Br Med Bull 2018. 105;1:185-199
3. FDA: Osteoarthritis - Structural Endpoints for the
Development of Drugs, Devices, and Biological Products for
Treatment Guidance for Industry. 18 Jul
2018.
4. NICE. SCOPE. Osteoarthritis: the care and management of
osteoarthritis
5. Arthritis Research UK. State of Musculoskeletal Health
2018.
6. Arthritis Research UK. Arthritis rates set to double by 2030.
9 May 2012
7. Kotlarz H, Gunnarsson CL, Fang H, Rizzo JA. Insurer and
out-of-pocket costs of osteoarthritis in the US: evidence from
national survey data. Arthritis Rheum 2009 Dec;60(12):3546-53.
8. Arden N. OA is a serious disease. Presented at: OARSI 2018
World Congress on Osteoarthritis; April
26-29; Liverpool,
England