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There’s a new biotech startup in town with big plans and a leadership team of seasoned execs.
Private company Ottimo Pharma emerged from stealth mode on October 28 with a goal of developing cancer therapies for solid tumors.
Its focus right now is on developing a new antibody, Jankistomig, which could do just that by targeting immune checkpoint inhibition and angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels).
The drug would specifically work by blocking PD1 and VEGF pathways, an approach to fighting cancer that is backed by a growing body of research.
Jankistomig has been in pre-clinical development for three years, and the company plans to file an investigational new drug application with the FDA in late 2025, which will allow clinical trials to begin, according to a release.
Seasoned team. Co-founded in 2020 by life sciences investor Medicxi and antibody engineer Jonny Finlay, the London- and Boston-based company is led by chair and CEO David Epstein.
“This new medicine is exquisitely designed and offers large potential benefits to patients across a wide range of solid tumors. It will be exciting to scale the team and deliver on the promise to patients,” Epstein said in the release.
Epstein is the former CEO of Seagan, another biotech company focused on developing cancer medicines that was sold to Pfizer in December 2023 for $43 billion—“one of the largest investments in Pfizer’s history,” Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and CEO, said in a press release published at the time.
Epstein told Stat News that his team aims to sell Ottimo Pharma to a larger company, assuming trials go well.
Along with Epstein, Ottimo Pharma has brought on Mehdi Shahidi, a Medicixi venture partner and former Boehringer Ingelheim corporate SVP as chief medical officer and global head of medicine, as its head of development and chief medical officer.
James Sabry, Roche’s former global head and EVP of pharma partnering, is vice chair of the company’s board.