Dr. Hillan Brings Significant Experience in Pipeline Strategy and Global Drug Development
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Achaogen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing antibiotics for the treatment of life-threatening, multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections, today announced the hiring of Kenneth J. Hillan, M.B. Ch.B., as chief medical officer. Dr. Hillan will fill a key role on the company’s senior leadership team with responsibility for all clinical development and regulatory activities as well as pipeline strategy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kenneth as Achaogen’s chief medical officer,” said J. Kevin Judice, Ph.D., chief executive officer and chief scientific officer of Achaogen. “His capabilities as a strategic thinker and his broad experience in global drug development across multiple therapeutic areas make him the ideal leader to join our team. Our mission to discover and develop new treatments for life-threatening, MDR bacterial infections is a critical one, and Kenneth’s arrival at Achaogen is a vital part of our pursuit of creative solutions to the many challenges inherent in the development of new antibiotics.”
Dr. Hillan joins Achaogen after sixteen years with Genentech (now Roche), where he most recently served as senior vice president and head of product development, Asia Pacific, with responsibility for Roche’s overall drug development strategy in the region. Prior to that, he was senior vice president, clinical development, inflammation after holding a variety of positions at Genentech including vice president, research operations and pathology; vice president, development sciences; and vice president, immunology, tissue growth and repair (ITGR). Dr. Hillan has also authored dozens of scientific publications and is a named inventor on almost 50 issued patents. He holds an M.B. Ch.B. (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Glasgow, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), and of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath).
“I am very excited to join Achaogen,” Dr. Hillan commented. “The company’s rigorous science and focus on multi-drug-resistant pathogens – an area that has suffered from a lack of scientific investment and innovation in recent years – presents a unique opportunity to identify, develop and commercialize new medicines for a patient population with a significant and growing unmet medical need. I look forward to working with the rest of the team as we continue to build Achaogen into a fully integrated pharmaceutical company.”
About Achaogen
Achaogen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of antibiotics for the treatment of serious infections caused by multi-drug resistant, Gram-negative bacteria. The company’s pipeline includes ACHN-490, an aminoglycoside currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical study for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) and acute pyelonephritis, and late-stage preclinical programs with demonstrated in vivo efficacy against Gram-negative pathogens of concern including P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii. Resistance to available antibacterial therapies continues to rise at an alarming rate and Achaogen is applying its anticipatory science to meet this evolving need, developing drugs today intended to combat tomorrow’s resistant pathogens. Achaogen has established specialized capabilities to pursue the discovery and development of new antibiotics, and has funded its growth with a blend of private investments and non-dilutive funding from partnerships with the NIH, the United States Department of Defense, and others. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.achaogen.com.
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KEYWORDS: United States North America California
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Biotechnology Infectious Diseases Pharmaceutical
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