Avila Appoints Andrew Hirsch as Chief Financial Officer

- Also Expands Team to Deepen Discovery and Development Capabilities -

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Avila Therapeutics™, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs, today announced that Andrew Hirsch has joined the company as its first Chief Financial Officer.

Andrew Hirsch, CFO, Avila Therapeutics (Photo: Business Wire)

Andrew Hirsch, CFO, Avila Therapeutics (Photo: Business Wire)

“As we continue to drive drug development programs arising from the Avilomics™ platform into the clinic, Andrew’s nearly twenty years in corporate finance and strategic management will be a tremendous asset to Avila. His breadth of experience provides us with key insights into successfully creating value as we advance our drug candidates and grow as an organization,” said Katrine Bosley, Chief Executive Officer of Avila. “We are very pleased to welcome Andrew and a growing team of accomplished biotech veterans to Avila.”

“I am truly impressed by the rapid pace at which Avila has translated innovations in covalent drug discovery into a portfolio of product candidates,” commented Mr. Hirsch. “The opportunity to join this outstanding leadership team in the creation of medicines that will have a major impact for patients is very exciting, especially now, as the company expands its drug development capabilities.”

Mr. Hirsch joins Avila from Biogen Idec where he spent the past 10 years in a number of roles of increasing responsibility – most recently as Vice President of Corporate Strategy and M&A. Mr. Hirsch’s prior roles during his tenure at Biogen Idec included responsibilities in the finance organization for corporate planning, budget development and management, and investor relations. In addition he served as Program Executive in neurology leading the development teams for the company’s BG-12, Avonex®, and Tysabri® programs. Prior joining Biogen Idec, Mr. Hirsch led business development for a software start-up company and spent several years in management consulting at Stern Stewart & Co. and The Parthenon Group. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Tuck School at Dartmouth College.

Avila has further strengthened its internal capabilities in both the design and clinical development of targeted covalent drugs with the recent hiring of several new senior staff members, each of whom brings significant industry experience in their respective areas of expertise:

  • Wendy Arnold, Director, Human Resources
  • Lisa Beebe, Ph.D., Director, Preclinical Development
  • Deborah Benjamin, Director, Facilities and Laboratory Management
  • Alan Corin, Ph.D., Director, Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
  • Eric Schwartz, Ph.D., Senior Director, Chemistry
  • Kathryn Stiede, Senior Director, Clinical Operations

About Avila Therapeutics™, Inc.

Avila Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the design and development of targeted covalent drugs to achieve best-in class outcomes. This approach, called “protein silencing”, cannot be achieved through traditional chemistry techniques. The company’s product pipeline has been built using its proprietary Avilomics™ platform and is currently focused on cancer, viral infection and autoimmune disease. Avila’s most advanced product candidate, AVL-292, a potential treatment for cancer and autoimmune diseases, is currently in Phase 1 clinical testing. Avila is funded by leading venture capital firms: Abingworth, Advent Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, Novartis Option Fund, and Polaris Venture Partners. For additional information, please visit http://www.avilatx.com.

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Andrew Hirsch, CFO, Avila Therapeutics (Photo: Business Wire)