Appointment of Stuart Loesch as President Leverages His Strong Leadership Abilities and Extensive Expertise in Allergy and Pharmaceutical Development
Appointment of William Berger, MD, MBA as Head of Clinical Development Adds Critical Clinical Allergy Expertise Ahead of Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Peanut Allergic Children
NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intrommune Therapeutics, Inc., a New York-based clinical stage biotechnology company developing a patient-friendly treatment platform for peanut and other food allergies, today announced the appointment of Stuart Loesch as President and Dr. William Berger as Head of Clinical Development.
Loesch, a proven pharmaceutical executive with nearly three decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and consumer products industries, will transition from his current role as Intrommune’s Chief Commercial Officer to President. In this expanded role, Loesch will continue to manage all commercial activities, as well as oversee the clinical, regulatory and manufacturing functions of Intrommune’s pipeline, including INT301 for peanut allergic patients which is currently in clinical development.
“Mr. Loesch has a terrific track record of accomplishment in leading U.S. and global pharmaceutical organizations to successfully launch novel respiratory medicines, including several allergy products. Mr. Loesch is an in-demand pharmaceutical executive and I am proud he agreed to join Intrommune after thoroughly assessing the food allergy landscape and determining that oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) has the greatest potential to provide the safest, most effective, and most convenient therapies for people with food allergy,” said Michael Nelson, CEO, Intrommune. “I look forward to continuing to work with him in this expanded role.”
Loesch has extensive experience in the allergy, asthma and COPD therapeutic areas. Beginning his career at GlaxoSmithKline, Loesch oversaw the launch of several innovative allergy, asthma and COPD products. He spent time at Altana Pharmaceuticals, Nycomed, Schering-Plough, Merck, Teva and Meda Pharmaceuticals, where he led the North American business. Prior to joining Intrommune in August of 2021, Loesch gained a deep understanding of allergy immunotherapy as Vice President of Marketing, BD and Commercial Strategy at ALK.
Dr. Berger is a world-renowned allergist who founded the Allergy and Asthma Associates of Southern California Medical Group in 1981 in Mission Viejo, Calif., where he practiced both adult and pediatric allergy. In 1995, Dr. Berger established the Southern California Research Center, focusing on respiratory and allergy clinical research projects. He has also held several leadership roles within several societies and organizations, including past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He is the author of many academic papers and lay press articles in the field of allergy, asthma and immunology, including the published book “Asthma for Dummies.”
"I feel truly privileged to be part of a superb team here at Intrommune that is dedicated to developing safe and effective therapies for individuals suffering from food allergies. By making this unique drug delivery system available through Intrommune’s OMIT platform, we have established a program that we can get our teeth into and provide a much-needed solution to this medical problem,” said Dr. Berger, Head of Clinical Development, Intrommune.
“Dr. Berger is a highly respected allergist and adds significant clinical, scientific and practical allergy expertise to our leadership team as we move INT301 into Phase 2 clinical development and continue to progress our early-stage platform of food allergy treatments embedded in our proprietary toothpaste,” said Stuart Loesch, President, Intrommune. “I’m excited to welcome Dr. Berger to Intrommune and look forward to working with him in this new role. His experience and knowledge will be integral to getting INT301 into the hands of people suffering from peanut allergy in a timely manner.”
About Peanut and Other Food Allergies
Food allergies affect more than 220 million people worldwide, including approximately 32 million people in the U.S. Management of food allergies currently focuses on avoidance of exposure to triggering foods, though often such foods, including peanuts, are common ingredients in food products and therefore difficult to avoid. Many people with peanut allergy are accidentally exposed and experience potentially life-threatening reactions, including anaphylaxis, each year. Unfortunately, food allergy remains an area of tremendous unmet medical need.
About Oral Mucosal Immunotherapy™
Oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) uses a specially formulated toothpaste to stabilize and deliver allergenic proteins to immunologically active areas of the oral cavity with the greatest potential for allergy desensitization. Success with allergy immunotherapy hinges on consistent exposure of a patient’s immune system to gradually “desensitize” the patient to the specific allergy trigger over time. OMIT presents advantages over other approaches to allergy immunotherapy due to its targeted delivery and simplified administration, which supports the potential for improved adherence.
About Intrommune Therapeutics
Intrommune, dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of people with food allergy, is developing the revolutionary oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) treatment platform for food allergies. OMIT is a patient-friendly solution for over 220 million people worldwide, including 32 million people in the U.S., who suffer from life-altering food allergies. Intrommune Therapeutic’s lead product, INT301, has entered Phase 1 clinical trials. Phase 1, along with future studies, are intended to support the development of OMIT as a safe, effective and convenient therapy for patients who suffer from peanut allergy.
For more information on Intrommune Therapeutics, please visit http://www.intrommune.com
Contact:
Stuart Loesch
Intrommune Therapeutics
(267) 740-2905
sloesch@intrommune.com
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