Abide Therapeutics Appoints Kevin Finney as President and Chief Operating Officer

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Abide Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapeutics targeting the serine hydrolase family of enzymes, announced today the appointment of Kevin Finney to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer. Associated with this appointment, Mr. Finney will join Abide's Board of Directors.

"In previous roles, I have had the honor of leading several of the best companies in the world, focused on commercializing novel treatments in neurology and pain management," said Kevin Finney, President and Chief Operating Officer, Abide Therapeutics. "I am excited to bring this experience and background to Abide and to work with the spectacular team that has brought our lead program, ABX-1431, to mid-stage development. We look forward to advancing all of our programs, and the potential of providing new, transformational medicines to patients in need living with neurological conditions."

Mr. Finney has more than 20 years of healthcare industry leadership experience spanning pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic segments. His extensive experience encompasses the early stages of development through commercialization of brands. Prior to Abide, Mr. Finney was Chief Operating Officer of Zavante Therapeutics, currently Nabriva Therapeutics. As a founding member of the management team, he led the initial financing of the company and operations from inception through the sale in 2018. Previously, Mr. Finney was Vice President and Head of World-Wide Corporate Development at Allergan, Inc., an international specialty pharmaceutical company operating in more than 100 countries worldwide. In this role he led strategic corporate development and was at the center of some of the industry's largest transactions. During his tenure at Allergan, the company grew from $3 billion in annual revenue to $7 billion through organic and acquired growth, including substantial growth of the neurology franchise with the flagship product BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA).

Prior to Allergan, Mr. Finney held commercial executive management roles at Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. (now Nestle Health Science), Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (now Bristol-Myers Squibb), and the Parke-Davis division of Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer). During Mr. Finney's tenure at Parke-Davis, he led substantial neurology product launches including Neurontin® (gabapentin).

In addition to his role at Abide, Mr. Finney also serves on the boards of Taris Biomedical and Eirion Therapeutics. Mr. Finney earned his M.B.A. degree from the George L. Graziado School of Business, Pepperdine University, and his B.A. in Exercise Physiology from California State University Long Beach.

"As Abide Therapeutics evolves into a later-stage neurology company, it is important that we recruit senior leaders who have the commercial and operating experience to enable the company to deliver innovative medicines to treat diseases of the central nervous system," said Alan Ezekowitz, MBChB, DPhil, CEO of Abide Therapeutics. "Kevin Finney's wealth of experience, including building a pipeline within a product with Botox at Allergan and Neurontin at Parke-Davis, make him a perfect fit for Abide. I look forward to partnering with Kevin to advance our lead program, ABX 1431, a first-in-class molecule to treat Tourette Syndrome and other movement disorders and chronic pain. Together with the Abide team, we are determined to deliver ABX-1431 and our pipeline of monoacylglycerol (MGLL) inhibitors to patients."

Pipeline Update

Enrollment and dosing continues in our Phase 2 clinical trial of ABX-1431, a first-in-class investigational MGLL inhibitor, in patients with Tourette Syndrome (TS). This multicenter study, initiated in Europe in October 2018, is designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and dosing regimen of ABX-1431 in adults with TS or Chronic Motor Tic Disorder (CMTD). It is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that will evaluate ABX-1431, dosed once daily for up to 8 weeks, with an open-label extension arm for an additional 4 weeks.

In neuropathic pain, we have completed two exploratory Phase 1 clinical trials of ABX-1431 and have extended a third trial to collect additional data. Based on data from these clinical studies and our preclinical work, we are planning a Phase 2 study in neuropathic pain and expect to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this year. We plan to report data from our Phase 1 program later this year.

About Abide Therapeutics

Abide Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the therapeutic value of first-in-class endocannabinoid modulators to transform the lives of patients with serious unmet medical needs. Abide's lead program focuses on potentiating the endocannabinoid system with highly selective inhibitors of the enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase (MGLL) to treat a broad range of neurological diseases. MGLL is an emblematic member of a large family of enzymes called serine hydrolases that serve as key regulators of diverse signaling pathways in human physiology and disease and accordingly represent a rich source of potential first-in-class medicines. In addition to its MGLL clinical program, Abide has a rich preclinical pipeline of inhibitors targeting other serine hydrolases for neurological diseases, as well as liver disease and inflammation.

Abide has offices in San Diego, California and Princeton, New Jersey. To learn more, visit www.abidetx.com.

Media Contact:
Patty Pilon
Abide Therapeutics
Tel: +1 619.244.2679
[email protected] 

Investor Contact:
John Graziano
Solebury Trout
Tel: +1 646.378.2942
[email protected] 

SOURCE Abide Therapeutics

Related Links

http://www.abidetx.com