Press Release
Akebia Therapeutics Appoints Michael Clayman, M.D. and Maxine Gowen, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors
"Both Michael and Maxine bring an extraordinary wealth of scientific, medical and business expertise to Akebia's Board," said Muneer A. Satter, Chairman of the Board of Directors. "We look forward to leveraging their insights and guidance as we continue to advance our lead program, AKB-6548 for the treatment of anemia related to chronic kidney disease, and build a biopharmaceutical company that can deliver breakthrough therapeutics. We also want to thank Kim for his valuable contributions to Akebia during his time on our Board."
Dr. Clayman is a Co-Founder of Flexion, and has served as President and
Chief Executive Officer since the company's inception in 2007.
Previously, Dr. Clayman served in senior management positions at Eli
Lilly and Company (Lilly), most recently as Vice President,
Dr. Clayman earned a B.A., cum laude, from
"AKB-6548 has the potential to drive a paradigm shift in the treatment of anemia related to chronic kidney disease as a once-daily oral treatment that mimics the body's natural response to anemia," said Dr. Clayman. "Having focused on renal disease research for many years, I am well-acquainted with the need for new therapeutic options for patients impacted by anemia related to chronic kidney disease, and believe that AKB-6548 has the potential to be an important advance for these patients."
Dr. Gowen joined Trevena in 2007 as its founding President and CEO. Prior to this position, Dr. Gowen held a variety of leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) over a period of 15 years. As Senior Vice President for the company's Center of Excellence for Drug Discovery, she developed an innovative new approach to externalizing drug discovery. Dr. Gowen was previously President and Managing Partner at SR One, the venture capital subsidiary of GSK, where she led its investments in and served on the Board of Directors of numerous companies. Dr. Gowen also previously served as Vice President, Drug Discovery, Musculoskeletal Diseases at GSK, where she was responsible for drug discovery and early development for osteoporosis, arthritis and metastatic bone disease.
Dr. Gowen graduated with a B.Sc. in biochemistry from the University of
"I am pleased to join Akebia's Board at this exciting time in the company's growth," said Dr. Gowen. "I look forward to collaborating with the other Board members and the management team as the company advances toward key data milestones, including the data from its ongoing Phase 2b trial of AKB-6548 later this year, which, if positive, will set the stage for a global Phase 3 study for this lead program."
AKB-6548 is currently in Phase 2b development for the treatment of anemia related to chronic kidney disease in patients who are not dependent on dialysis, with results expected in the fourth quarter of 2014.
About
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. Such
forward-looking statements include those about Akebia's strategy, future
plans and prospects, including statements regarding the potential
indications and benefits of AKB-6548, the development plan for AKB-6548
and the expected timing of clinical trial data. The words "anticipate,"
"appear," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan,"
"predict," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "would," "could,"
"should," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements
contain these identifying words. Each forward-looking statement is
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement,
including the risk that existing preclinical and clinical data may not
be predictive of the results of ongoing or later clinical trials; the
actual time it takes to complete clinical trials and analyze the data;
the ability of Akebia to successfully complete the clinical development
of AKB-6548 or any other product candidate; the content and timing of
decisions by the
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Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.
245 First Street, Suite 1400
Cambridge, MA 02142
+1 617.871.2098 phone
+1 617.871.2099 fax