Abcentra Announces Appointment of Dr. Peter Libby as a Board Member as it Enters Orticumab's Phase 2b Trial (FORTIFY)

LOS ANGELES, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Abcentra LLC (Abcentra), a clinical stage biotechnology company specializing in coronary artery disease, today announced the appointment of Dr. Peter Libby, MD as a Board Member.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Libby join Abcentra's Board. He is a renowned medical cardiologist and pioneer in elucidating the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease. His deep expertise in cardiovascular inflammation will be critical as we raise awareness of the significant potential of plaque-targeted anti-inflammatory therapies to improve patient outcomes," said Christopher Farina, Chief Executive Officer at Abcentra. 

Dr. Libby is a cardiovascular specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and holds the Mallinckrodt Professorship of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). His areas of clinical expertise include general and preventive cardiology. His major research focus is the role of inflammation in vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Dr. Libby has a particular devotion to translate his laboratory studies to pilot and then large-scale clinical cardiovascular outcome trials.

"Dr. Libby is a world-renowned cardiologist pushing the frontier of inflammation in cardiovascular disease. He has been pivotal in developing the next generation of cardiovascular treatments recently serving as a leader of CANTOS and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Corvidia Therapeutics (acquired by Novo Nordisk). It is my great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to Peter on behalf of my colleagues on Abcentra's Board. His input has already been very valuable in planning FORTIFY. We look forward to working with him closely as the Company prepares for Phase 3," said Dr. Michael Davidson, Board Member and CEO of New Amsterdam Pharma.

"This time is a transformational period for Abcentra as it continues to advance its therapeutic program into a phase 2b clinical trial in patients with a history of myocardial infarction and elevated coronary inflammation. I am excited to join the Abcentra Board and collaborate with fellow board members and management to continue the Company's momentum in developing novel anti-inflammatory approaches," said Dr. Libby.

Dr. Libby has authored over 560 original publications in peer reviewed journals and is Editor of the leading textbook of cardiovascular medicine, Braunwald's Heart Disease. His research has received funding from the American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health. Dr. Libby has received world-wide research recognitions, including the highest research awards from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, the Gold Medal of the European Society of Cardiology, the Anitchkow award from the European Atherosclerosis Society, The Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine, and the Earl Benditt award for vascular biology.

Dr. Libby earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego, and completed his training in internal medicine and cardiology at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now part of MassGeneralBrigham). He also holds an honorary MA degree from Harvard University, and honorary doctorates from the University of Lille, Université Laval, and Goethe University.

About Abcentra LLC

Abcentra is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a mission to improve treatment options for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Abcentra's first-in-class monoclonal antibody, orticumab, has promise to go beyond LDL lowering to quell persistent inflammation within atherosclerotic plaques, thereby offering an exciting new approach to treating patients at risk for recurrent cardiovascular events.

The Company is developing orticumab for secondary prevention of cardiac events after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

In 2024, Abcentra published promising clinical data from a phase 2a pilot study, which established clinical proof-of activity of orticumab. Following the data readout, Abcentra closed a follow-on investment of $50mm last year from existing investors that funds the program through phase 2b.

About Orticumab's Phase 2b Clinical Study (FORTIFY)

The FORTIFY trial will evaluate the effect of orticumab on coronary inflammation in patients with a history of myocardial infarction and elevated coronary inflammation. Further details can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06927739.

SOURCE Abcentra