- David Epstein, formerly CEO of Seagen, joins as Chair & Chief Executive Officer
- Mehdi Shahidi, previously SVP and Chief Medical Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim, joins as Head of Development & Chief Medical Officer
- James Sabry, ex-Head of Pharma Partnering at Roche, joins the Board as Vice-Chair
LONDON and BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ottimo Pharma, a private biotech company, announces the appointment of world class industry veterans David Epstein as Chair & Chief Executive Officer, Mehdi Shahidi as Head of Development & Chief Medical Officer and James Sabry as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.
Ottimo Pharma, co-founded by Medicxi and Jonny Finlay in 2020, is developing Jankistomig, a PD1-VEGFR2 bi-functional antibody, designed as a dual-pathway, single agent, IgG therapy targeting immune checkpoint inhibition and angiogenesis in the treatment of cancer.
David Epstein, Chair & Chief Executive Officer of Ottimo Pharma, said: “This new medicine is exquisitely designed and offers large potential benefits to patients across a wide range of solid tumors. It will be exciting to scale the team and deliver on the promise to patients.”
James Sabry, Vice-Chair of the Board of Ottimo Pharma, said: “I am excited to join the Board of this highly innovative company with a beautifully designed medicine that has the potential to change the face of cancer immunotherapy.”
Jankistomig’s unique mode of action blocks the PD1 and VEGF pathways, leveraging its high affinity for PD1 to enhance tumor immune cell biodistribution while minimizing VEGF-related adverse effects, specifically due to its intentionally designed interaction with VEGFR2.
Ottimo Pharma’s goal is to improve cancer treatment outcomes and reduce healthcare burden through this novel combination of mechanisms of action.
Over the last three years, Ottimo Pharma has been running the full pre-clinical characterization of the molecule and anticipates filing an IND in late 2025.
Francesco De Rubertis, Board Member at Ottimo Pharma & Partner at Medicxi, commented: “As we launch Ottimo Pharma, I am confident that the combined expertise of this stellar leadership team will help accelerate the transformation of the original insight by Jonny Finlay in his Scottish lab into a best-in class asset in cancer therapy.”
Jonny Finlay, Scientific Founder & Advisor at Ottimo Pharma, added: “I am extremely excited to see Ottimo Pharma come out of stealth. I can’t wait to see the scientific and clinical breakthroughs made by this superb team and this deeply differentiated molecule.”
David Epstein, newly appointed Chair of the Board of Directors & Chief Executive Officer, brings over 30 years of experience in drug development, deal making and commercialization, with a strong track record of success. Most recently, David served as CEO of Seagen, and as a member of its Board, until its acquisition by Pfizer in late 2023. From 2010 to 2016, he served as CEO of
Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG, and earlier in his career, he founded and led Novartis’ Oncology and Molecular Diagnostics units.
Mehdi Shahidi, MD, joins Ottimo Pharma as Head of Development & CMO, bringing a wealth of expertise in oncology drug development. With over two decades of experience in pharma, including Global Head of Medicine, Oncology and SVP & Chief Medical Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim, he has overseen the clinical development, regulatory filing and registration of multiple drugs. Mehdi completed his clinical oncology training at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and had a successful clinical and research career in oncology before transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry.
James Sabry, MD, PhD, joins Ottimo Pharma’s Board as non-executive Vice-Chair, with over 30 years of experience in business development and partnering. He currently serves as EVP, Chief Business Officer of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. Prior to this, James was previously Global Head and EVP of Roche Pharma Partnering where he was instrumental in securing key deals that have significantly advanced the company’s R&D pipeline and led to the launch of numerous new medicines. From 2010, he was Senior Vice President of Genentech Partnering.
About Ottimo Pharma
Ottimo Pharma is a private biotechnology company, co-founded in 2020 by Medicxi and Jonny Finlay, focused on the development of pioneering innovative cancer therapies for solid tumors. The Company’s lead program, Jankistomig, is a PD1-VEGFR2 bi-functional antibody designed to target both immune checkpoint inhibition and angiogenesis in a single IgG therapy. By advancing this dual-pathway approach, Ottimo Pharma aims to improve cancer treatment outcomes and reduce overall healthcare burden. The Company boasts a world-class leadership team, including David Epstein as Chair and CEO, Mehdi Shahidi as Head of Development and CMO, and James Sabry as Vice-Chair of the Board. Ottimo Pharma anticipates filing an IND in late 2025.
About Medicxi
Medicxi is a healthcare-focused investment firm with the mission to create and invest in companies across the full drug development continuum. Leveraging deep expertise in drug development and company creation spanning over two decades, Medicxi invests in early and late-stage therapeutics with a product vision that can fulfill a clear unmet medical need. For more information, please visit: www.medicxi.com.
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