BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
resTORbio, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of aging-related diseases, today announced that Paul Fonteyne, President and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim USA, has joined the resTORbio board of directors as an independent director.
“I am honored to welcome Paul Fonteyne to our Board,” said Chen Schor, President and CEO of resTORbio. “Paul is an extremely accomplished leader and life sciences executive, having led the commercialization efforts of multiple respiratory and cardiovascular drugs. Paul’s commercial and general management experience, along with his strategic perspective, will be instrumental as we advance RTB101, our selective inhibitor of target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1), for the initial indication of reducing the incidence of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in the elderly and potentially for additional aging-related diseases.”
Paul Fonteyne said: “resTORbio’s first-in-class immunotherapy program is designed to improve immune function and thereby reduce the incidence of RTIs in the elderly, regardless of the causative pathogen. I look forward to working with the resTORbio team and helping to build a leading biopharmaceutical company addressing both the high unmet need of RTIs in the elderly as well as additional aging-related diseases and conditions.”
Mr. Fonteyne is President and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim USA and a board member of the PhRMA Industry Association. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Fonteyne served as Senior Corporate Vice President, Prescription Medicines Marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. From 2003 to 2008 he served as Executive Vice President, Head of Marketing and Sales, Prescription Medicines at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to his work at Boehringer Ingelheim, Mr. Fonteyne served as Vice President, Sales and as Vice President, Marketing at Merck & Co., Inc. and prior to Merck served in different leadership roles with Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
About Respiratory Tract Infections in the Elderly
The
reduced ability of elderly patients to detect and fight infections is
most commonly manifested in their susceptibility to RTIs and the
negative effects such infections have on their overall health. According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, RTIs are the fifth leading cause of death in
people age 85 and over and the seventh leading cause of death in people
age 65 and over. RTIs also result in high healthcare costs for the
elderly population and burden the healthcare system. The majority of
RTIs are caused by viruses for which there are no FDA-approved
therapies. As the elderly represent the fastest growing population in
the world, there is significant unmet medical need for innovative
therapeutic options to reduce the incidence of RTIs by enhancing the
function of the aging immune system.
About TORC1
Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a
protein serine/threonine kinase that regulates the process of aging and
aging-related diseases and conditions, via two complexes: TORC1 and
TORC2. TORC1 inhibition has been found to have many beneficial effects
on aging-related diseases and conditions, while TORC2 inhibition has
been associated with adverse events including hyperglycemia and
hyperlipidemia. The TORC1 inhibitor program being developed by resTORbio
may, therefore, have therapeutic potential to ameliorate multiple
aging-related diseases without the undesirable side effects associated
with TORC2 inhibition.
About resTORbio
resTORbio, Inc. is a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and
commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of
aging-related diseases. resTORbio’s lead program is targeting the target
of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) pathway to treat aging-related diseases
and conditions with an initial focus on conditions caused by
immunosenescence, the decline in immune function that occurs during
aging. resTORbio’s lead product candidate, RTB101, alone or in
combination with everolimus, is in a Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate
its potential in reducing the incidence of respiratory tract infections
(RTI) in elderly subjects at increased risk of RTI-related morbidity and
mortality. resTORbio’s lead program is supported by two Phase 2a
clinical studies from which promising safety and efficacy signals were
observed in almost 500 elderly subjects. resTORbio is pursuing a
pragmatic clinical development plan to address areas of key unmet
medical need in the aging population. For more information, please visit www.restorbio.com.
resTORbio is an affiliate of PureTech
Health.
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