SAN DIEGO, and KALAMAZOO, Mich., June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cirius Therapeutics, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of liver and metabolic diseases, including MSDC-0602K for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), announced today that Andrew Knudten, M.B.A., will join the company as chief technical officer and will be responsible for advancing the company's manufacturing and supply chain operations.

"Given our clinical development plans, adding expertise to our manufacturing and supply operations is a logical next step in our growth as a company," said Bob Baltera, chief executive officer of Cirius. "I expect Andrew's deep, broad and extensive experience in matters related to drug supply will help us meet our commitments to patients and physicians."

Most recently, Mr. Knudten was senior vice president technical operations at AveXis Inc., which was acquired by Novartis, where he played a critical role in building a team to support commercial scale manufacturing and approval of a gene therapy. Prior to AveXis, Mr. Knudten held numerous manufacturing and operations executive positions at Amgen, Hospira and Novartis. Mr. Knudten received a B.S. in biological sciences, health and secondary education from Concordia University, an M.S. in cell biology and genetics from the University of Nebraska and an M.B.A. from The Anderson School of Management at U.C.L.A.

"Cirius' approach to treating NASH has the potential to help patients who are battling this disease, as the increase in the prevalence of NASH is rapidly becoming a major contributor to health care costs both directly related to adverse liver pathologies as well as other comorbidities associated with NASH," stated Mr. Knudten. "I am happy to lend my expertise to advancing MSDC-0602K in the clinic and towards the market."

Cirius previously reported positive data for MSDC-0602K in interim analysis of phase 2b clinical trial in NASH patients with fibrosis.

About Cirius Therapeutics

Cirius is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of liver and metabolic diseases. Its lead product candidate, MSDC-0602K, is a novel small molecule being developed as a once-daily oral therapy to treat NASH with fibrosis. MSDC-0602K is designed to selectively modulate the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), which mediates at the cellular level the effects of overnutrition, a major cause of NASH and other metabolic disorders. Cirius is conducting a Phase 2b clinical trial of MSDC-0602K, which Cirius has fully enrolled with 402 patients diagnosed with NASH with fibrosis.

For more information about Cirius Therapeutics, visit www.ciriustx.com.

SOURCE Cirius Therapeutics

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