Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Appoints Eduardo Martins, M.D., Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Liver and Infectious Diseases Drug Development

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of targeted therapies for Orphan Designation diseases, announced today the appointment of Eduardo B. Martins, M.D., Ph.D., as the Company's Senior Vice President of Liver and Infectious Diseases drug development.

David Cory, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eiger, commented, "We are pleased to appoint Dr. Martins as our Senior Vice President of Liver and Infectious Diseases drug development.  Eduardo's training and many years of experience overseeing multiple programs, especially in the viral hepatitis space, at large pharmaceutical and large biotechnology companies will strategically bolster our corporate vision.  His background and development experience makes this appointment the strongest strategic choice to advance our efforts in developing a cure for hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection."

Dr. Martins added, "Eiger BioPharmaceuticals understands the need for an effective therapy for HDV and has positioned itself to capture that unmet need by identifying and advancing a promising therapeutic in lonafarnib.  I'm proud to join their seasoned management team and help lead the clinical development of an important program in Eiger's innovative pipeline."

Most recently, Dr. Martins was the Senior Director, Medical Affairs for Hepatitis at Gilead Sciences where he oversaw a large global clinical trial in HBV, supervised multiple Phase 4 studies in viral hepatitis, and collaborations with drug discovery, translational research, and clinical development in viral hepatitis.  Previously, he was the Senior International Medical Leader for Pegasys® (pegylated interferon alfa-2a) at Genentech.  Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Martins worked in positions of increasing responsibility at Dynavax Technologies, InterMune, and SciClone Pharmaceuticals, primarily focused on vaccines and therapeutics for viral hepatitis.

Dr. Martins received an M.D. from the Medical School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a Ph.D. in Immunology of Liver Diseases from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.  He completed specialty training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom. 

About Eiger

Eiger is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for Orphan Designation diseases. The company is focused on developing lonafarnib for the treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV), the most severe form of viral hepatitis. Lonafarnib is not approved for sale. For additional information about Eiger and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.eigerbio.com.

Investors: Jim Shaffer, Eiger Bio, Inc., 919-345-4256, jshaffer@eigerbio.com

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SOURCE Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc.