ROCKVILLE, Md., June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Synthetic
Biologics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: SYN), a clinical-stage company focused
on developing therapeutics to protect the microbiome while
targeting pathogen-specific diseases, announced Klaus Gottlieb, MD, FACG, has joined the Company
as Vice President, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs, effective
June 22, 2015. Dr. Gottlieb's
appointment expands the clinical and regulatory leadership team as
the Company moves into Phase 2 clinical trials for its irritable
bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and C. difficile
programs. He will report to Joseph
Sliman, MD, MPH, Synthetic Biologics' Senior Vice President,
Clinical & Regulatory Affairs.
Dr. Gottlieb is an experienced board-certified internist and
gastroenterologist with a strong clinical science, business and
drug development background. He has led cross-functional teams in a
variety of settings in industry, academia, private practice and
with the FDA. He joins Synthetic Biologics after serving as Senior
Medical Director-Therapeutic Strategy Lead Gastroenterology of
Quintiles, a Fortune 500 company and the world's largest
provider of biopharmaceutical development and commercial
outsourcing services. At Quintiles, Dr. Gottlieb served as Global
Medical Advisor for three separate large Phase 3 inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD) trials and provided significant input on the shaping,
design and evaluation of numerous IBD and other gastrointestinal
(GI) clinical trials throughout all stages of development programs.
Prior to joining Quintiles in 2013, he was with the FDA in
Silver Spring, MD as a Senior
Clinical Reviewer for the Division of Gastroenterology and Inborn
Errors Products. Previously, Dr. Gottlieb spent 11 years at Sacred
Heart Medical Center, a 500-bed full service hospital in
Spokane, WA.
"Klaus Gottlieb's broad clinical
and regulatory experience makes him the ideal candidate to join our
team as we prepare to advance several Phase 2 programs in the
clinic," said Dr. Sliman. "His accomplishments in the GI and
microbiome areas are critical to Synthetic Biologics' continued
successful product development. We believe Klaus' knowledge of
clinical pathways to commercialize products for the treatment of GI
diseases will be especially valuable to us as our team moves the
SYN-010 therapeutic program to address IBS-C into Phase 2 later
this month, and the SYN-004 program to protect the microbiome and
prevent C. difficile infection and antibiotic-associated
diarrhea into a Phase 2b during the third quarter of this
year."
Dr. Gottlieb graduated from medical school in 1987 and received
a Dr. med. degree from the University of Bonn, Germany, for bench research conducted in
Medical Microbiology, a Masters of Business Administration degree
from Indiana University in 2000 and a
Masters of Science in Biotechnology from Johns
Hopkins University in 2012. Widely published, his academic
contributions have been recognized by an appointment as Professor
of Medicine (Clinical) at George Washington
University and the following elected fellowships: Fellow
American College of Physicians, Fellow American College of
Gastroenterology, Fellow American Society of Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy.
About Synthetic Biologics, Inc.
Synthetic Biologics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: SYN) is a clinical-stage
company focused on developing therapeutics to protect the
microbiome while targeting pathogen-specific diseases. The Company
is developing an oral biologic to protect the gut microbiome from
intravenous (IV) antibiotics for the prevention of C.
difficile infection and an oral statin treatment to reduce the
impact of methane producing organisms on irritable bowel syndrome
with constipation (IBS-C). In addition, the Company is developing a
monoclonal antibody combination for the treatment of Pertussis in
collaboration with Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), and a Phase 2
oral estriol drug for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple
sclerosis (MS) and cognitive dysfunction in MS. For more
information, please visit Synthetic Biologics' website at
www.syntheticbiologics.com.
This release includes forward-looking statements on Synthetic
Biologics' current expectations and projections about future
events. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified
by terminology such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue,"
"expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes,"
"estimates," and similar expressions. These statements are based
upon current beliefs, expectations and assumptions and are subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult
to predict and include statements regarding the expected
contribution of Dr. Gottlieb. The forward-looking statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those set forth or implied by any
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those reflected in
Synthetic Biologics' forward-looking statements include, among
others, a failure to successfully integrate the new management and
other factors described in Synthetic Biologics' report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2014
and any other filings with the SEC. The information in this release
is provided only as of the date of this release, and Synthetic
Biologics undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this release on account of new information,
future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
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SOURCE Synthetic Biologics, Inc.