Tobira Therapeutics Continues Management Team Expansion

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tobira Therapeutics, Inc. announces the appointment of Eric Lefebvre, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, and Martine Kraus, Ph.D., as Vice President, Regulatory Affairs. Both appointments are effective immediately. Additionally, the company, which has been headquartered in New Jersey, is consolidating all key leadership, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and project management operations in South San Francisco, California.

"We are thrilled to have Eric and Martine join our team," said Andrew Hindman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tobira. "Their extensive experience in developing and obtaining regulatory approvals for innovative HIV therapeutics will prove valuable in the advancement of the cenicriviroc development program as we continue to make progress in the on-going Phase 2b clinical study and prepare for the Phase 3 clinical program."

Dr. Lefebvre has 25 years of pharmaceutical industry, clinical care and research experience in virology. Before joining Tobira, he was the Global Medical Affairs leader at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company, where he championed the clinical development, publication and commercial optimization plans for Prezista®, Intelence®, Edurant® and TMC435, a small-molecule protease inhibitor being evaluated as a treatment for HCV-1. Prior to his tenure at Janssen, Dr. Lefebvre was medical advisor for the HIV, HSV vaccines and hepatitis therapeutic areas at GlaxoSmithKline, Canada. He received his medical degree from the University of Montreal.

Dr. Kraus has 15 years of regulatory affairs experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Tobira, she held the position of Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, at Gilead Sciences, where she spent more than 10 years. During her tenure at Gilead, she oversaw the regulatory approval and post-approval management of multiple products for HIV and HBV including Atripla®, Truvada®, Emtriva®, Viread® and Hepsera® and the submission of several investigational product applications for HIV and HCV. Most recently, she oversaw Gilead’s Regulatory Affairs labeling and promotional compliance functions. Prior to joining Gilead, Dr. Kraus was manager of regulatory affairs for ALZA Corporation. She received her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Cenicriviroc

Cenicriviroc, a small-molecule dual CCR5/CCR2 antagonist, blocks CCR5, a co‐receptor required for HIV infection, and CCR2, a co‐receptor involved in the inflammation process that may play a key role in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Well‐differentiated from available and emerging HIV medicines, Cenicriviroc may offer benefits beyond long-term viral suppression in a one-pill, once-a-day, fixed-dose co-formulation. Antiviral and immunological benefits of CCR5 inhibition, coupled with potential metabolic and cardiovascular benefits of CCR2 inhibition, could provide long-term health outcome benefits to patients.

About Tobira Therapeutics, Inc.

Tobira Therapeutics is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on meeting unmet needs in HIV treatment through clinical development of differentiated therapeutics. The Company was founded in 2006 by Eckard Weber, MD, a partner at Domain Associates, LLC, a life sciences venture capital firm. Tobira is focused on creating value for patients and investors by bringing cenicriviroc to market with a rapid, innovative, efficient and comprehensive development program. Its highly experienced management team has decades of clinical and commercial development experience specifically in HIV/AIDS drug development. Its lead program, cenicriviroc, is currently being studied in a Phase 2b clinical trial in treatment-naïve patients. For more information, please visit: www.tobiratherapeutics.com.



CONTACT:

Tobira Therapeutics, Inc.
Susan Wolfson, 917-340-8089
[email protected]
or
Felicia Vonella, 917-826-3427
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  AIDS  Biotechnology  Clinical Trials  Infectious Diseases  General Health

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