AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XBiotech Inc. (NASDAQ: XBIT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Libby, MD to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Libby will work with XBiotech to help further develop its clinical and research programs including studies evaluating bermekimab’s potential in improving patient outcomes by reducing risk of heart attack or strokes.
Dr. Libby’s group recently published their discovery that a crucial mechanism behind heart attacks and stroke may involve inflammation that is targeted by the Company’s antibody, bermekimab. Bermekimab targets a pro-inflammatory factor known as Interleukin-1 alpha. The FDA granted fast track approval for bermekimab in cardiovascular medicine and the Company hopes to now further its clinical development of bermekimab as a prophylaxis in patients at high risk for heart attack and stroke. Dr. Libby will be part of a team that will direct the use of bermekimab to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.
Dr. Libby commented: “Inflammatory pathways participate causally in cardiovascular diseases, and recent research has demonstrated that targeting inflammation can reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks. I am eager to continue to explore rigorously the efficacy of blocking these pathways in limiting the ravages of cardiovascular and kidney diseases both experimentally and in patients.”
John Simard, XBiotech’s President & CEO, stated, “We are elated to have Dr. Libby join our team and to further the development of bermekimab in areas where substantial unmet need exists for the most vulnerable patients at risk for heart attacks and strokes.”
The Company recently announced the publication of the research findings led by Dr. Libby which implicate IL-1? as a potential contributor to life threatening heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Libby’s findings are published online in a journal of the American Heart Association (AHA). The article titled, Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Induce Endothelial Cell Activation and Tissue Factor Production Through Interleukin-1? and Cathepsin G, was featured in the August print issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
About Peter Libby, M.D.
Peter Libby, MD, 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 current major research focus is the role of inflammation in vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Dr. Libby has a particular devotion to translate his basic laboratory studies to pilot and then large-scale clinical cardiovascular outcome trials. Dr. Libby is continually named a top cardiologist. 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. The author of over 400 original peer-reviewed publications, some 450 reviews, chapters, or other publications, Dr. Libby also serves as an Editor of the leading textbook of cardiovascular medicine Braunwald’s Heart Disease. 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 Brigham and Women’s Hospital). He also holds an honorary MA degree from Harvard University, and honorary doctorates from the University of Lille and Université Laval.
About True Human™ Therapeutic Antibodies
XBiotech’s True Human™ antibodies are derived without modification from individuals who possess natural immunity to certain diseases. With discovery and clinical programs across multiple disease areas, XBiotech’s True Human antibodies have the potential to harness the body’s natural immunity to fight disease with increased safety, efficacy and tolerability.
About XBiotech
XBiotech is a fully integrated global biosciences company dedicated to pioneering the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic antibodies based on its True Human™ proprietary technology. XBiotech is currently advancing a robust pipeline of antibody therapies to redefine the standards of care in oncology, inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, XBiotech is also leading the development of innovative biotech manufacturing technologies designed to more rapidly, cost-effectively and flexibly produce new therapies urgently needed by patients worldwide. For more information, visit www.xbiotech.com.
