NEW HAVEN, Conn, April 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Melinta Therapeutics today announced that Eugene Sun, M.D., has been appointed Melinta’s Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, making permanent the role he has filled in an interim capacity since September 2015.
“My colleagues on the Board of Directors and I would like to congratulate Dr. Sun on his appointment to the role of CEO. We believe that his leadership at Melinta, in-depth knowledge of clinical development, and expertise in infectious diseases makes him an ideal leader for Melinta as we move forward,” stated Thomas Koestler, Ph.D., Executive Director of Vatera Holdings LLC and Chairman of the Melinta Board of Directors. “We look forward to continuing to advance our novel antibiotic, Baxdela (delafloxacin), through clinical development and to regulatory submission so that patients and providers may benefit from a new therapeutic against multi-drug resistant infections.”
“I am highly motivated by our mission at Melinta to discover, develop and commercialize a continuing new stream of antibiotics to meet the pressing public health needs we are facing today,” said Dr. Sun. “I am confident that we have the right team, technology and products to succeed in this challenge and look forward to leading Melinta to deliver on this promise.”
Prior to joining Melinta in 2013, Dr. Sun held senior positions at Abbott Laboratories, most recently as Corporate Vice President, Global Pharmaceutical Clinical Development. During his 17-year tenure at Abbott, Dr. Sun led the development and worldwide regulatory approval of the landmark HIV protease inhibitor Kaletra® and oversaw the development and approval of multiple indications for Humira®. He also had responsibility for the anti-infective development portfolio that included compounds in the quinolone, cephalosporin, macrolide and ketolide classes. From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Sun served on the FDA Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, a panel of independent infectious disease experts. After earning a medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Sun completed an internship and residency in internal medicine, and a fellowship in infectious diseases, at the University of California, San Francisco. During his fellowship, Dr. Sun received a National Research Service Award and a Physician Scientist Award from the NIH.
About Melinta Therapeutics
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc. is dedicated to saving lives threatened by the global public health crisis of bacterial infections through the development of novel antibiotics that provide new and better therapeutic solutions. Melinta is rapidly progressing its late-stage investigational antibiotic, Baxdela, which is completing development for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Melinta is committed to developing, through the application of Nobel Prize-winning science, a new class of antibiotics designed to overcome the multi- and extremely-drug-resistant pathogens for which there are few to no options, known collectively as ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter species and Escherichia coli), which cause the majority of life-threatening hospital infections.
Melinta Therapeutics is privately held and backed by Vatera Healthcare Partners (www.vaterahealthcare.com) and Malin Corporation plc (www.malinplc.com) among other private investors. The company is headquartered in New Haven, CT with offices in Lincolnshire, IL. Visit www.melinta.com for more information.