Los Angeles, California (October 13, 2021) – Abcentra LLC announced today that Michael H. Davidson, MD, has been appointed to the Board of Directors. Dr. Davidson is currently CEO of New Amsterdam Pharma, and was previously the founding CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Corvidia Therapeutics, which was acquired by Novo-Nordisk in 2020. He also co-founded Omthera Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Astra Zeneca.
“It is an honor to have Dr. Davidson join Abcentra’s Board of Directors,” said John Farina, Chairman of Abcentra, “His pioneering work in the development of ziltivekimab to treat cardiovascular inflammation in chronic kidney disease patients at Corvidia Therapeutics provides strong precedent for Abcentra’s orticumab program in patient populations with inflammation-mediated cardiovascular event risk. His expertise as a cardiologist, lipidologist, and biotech entrepreneur is a tremendous asset for Abcentra.”
“Millions of patients are at risk of a cardiovascular event because of inflammation, even after maximal lipid lowering,” said Dr. Davidson. “This residual inflammatory risk is particularly evident in the psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus populations, where Abcentra is focusing its initial development of orticumab. As a lipidologist, I am excited to work with Abcentra as they unlock the potential of oxidized LDL inhibition to treat cardiovascular inflammation. In preclinical studies, orticumab has demonstrated the potential to regress atherosclerosis and quell inflammation in the tissue compartment with a high degree of specificity. If these findings can be substantiated in humans, orticumab has potential to meet a very large unmet medical need.”
Dr. Davidson is a leading expert in the field of lipidology research, with a background that encompasses both pharmaceutical and nutritional clinical trials, including extensive research on statins, novel lipid-lowering drugs, and omega-3 fatty acids. He was also named in “The Best Doctors in America” list for the past 15 years. Dr. Davidson also serves as Clinical Professor and Director of the Lipid Clinic at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He also founded the Chicago Center for Clinical Research, which became the largest investigator site in the United States and was acquired by Pharmaceutical Product Development in 1996. He is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and clinical lipidology, and served as President of the National Lipid Association from 2010 to 2011. Dr. Davidson received his BA/MS from Northwestern University and MD from The Ohio State University School of Medicine.
About Abcentra
Abcentra is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is developing orticumab, a monoclonal antibody against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), to treat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in patients with residual inflammatory risk. Oxidized LDL is a pro-inflammatory mediator that is strongly implicated in ASCVD.
Orticumab is currently being evaluated in a phase 2a study in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis and cardiometabolic risk factors.
Abcentra is based in Los Angeles, California.
Visit clinicaltrials.gov for more information about the orticumab phase 2a psoriasis trial and participating locations – NCT04776629
