SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibacterials addressing multi-drug resistant (MDR) gram-negative infections, today announced the addition of Mr. Gary Loeb as General Counsel, effective today. Mr. Loeb will serve as Achaogen’s general counsel and will report to Kenneth Hillan, Chief Executive Officer and President.
“Gary is an accomplished life sciences general counsel and an experienced leader, and we are delighted to have him join the Achaogen team,” said Kenneth Hillan. “As we enter the next critical phase of our growth, we will benefit from the breadth of Gary’s experience and insights including many aspects of intellectual property and drug development through to commercialization.”
Mr. Loeb has more than 15 years of legal affairs experience related to intellectual property, corporate governance, compliance, and business development in the biotechnology industry. Most recently, Mr. Loeb has been General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and on the executive team at three life sciences companies, Amyris, Inc., Counsyl, and most recently Sano Intelligence. Previously, Mr. Loeb spent eleven years at Genentech most recently as Vice President, Intellectual Property, where he oversaw 90 employees in the areas of litigation, patent prosecution, corporate records and technology licensing.
Mr. Loeb received his B.S. in Biology and B.A. in English from Stanford University in California and his J.D. from Columbia Law School in New York. He clerked in the Northern District of Texas for several years and practiced commercial and intellectual property law in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.
Since 2006, Mr. Loeb has been an adjunct professor at University of San Francisco Law School. He is currently on the Board of Directors for Project Open Hand, a nonprofit organization that provides meals to critically ill neighbors and seniors, and Columbia Law School.
"I am impressed with the research and development rigor behind Achaogen’s pipeline opportunities and their unique antibody discovery platform, and I believe that plazomicin has significant promise for the treatment of resistant gram-negative infections,” said Mr. Loeb. “I am excited to join the Achaogen leadership team and support the continued advancement of the company.”
About Achaogen
Achaogen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company passionately committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel antibacterials to treat MDR gram-negative infections. Achaogen is developing plazomicin, Achaogen’s lead product candidate, for the treatment of serious bacterial infections due to MDR Enterobacteriaceae, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Achaogen’s plazomicin program is funded in part with a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Plazomicin is the first clinical candidate from Achaogen’s gram-negative antibiotic discovery engine, and Achaogen has other programs in early and late preclinical stages focused on other MDR gram-negative infections. For more information, please visit www.achaogen.com.
“Gary is an accomplished life sciences general counsel and an experienced leader, and we are delighted to have him join the Achaogen team,” said Kenneth Hillan. “As we enter the next critical phase of our growth, we will benefit from the breadth of Gary’s experience and insights including many aspects of intellectual property and drug development through to commercialization.”
Mr. Loeb has more than 15 years of legal affairs experience related to intellectual property, corporate governance, compliance, and business development in the biotechnology industry. Most recently, Mr. Loeb has been General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and on the executive team at three life sciences companies, Amyris, Inc., Counsyl, and most recently Sano Intelligence. Previously, Mr. Loeb spent eleven years at Genentech most recently as Vice President, Intellectual Property, where he oversaw 90 employees in the areas of litigation, patent prosecution, corporate records and technology licensing.
Mr. Loeb received his B.S. in Biology and B.A. in English from Stanford University in California and his J.D. from Columbia Law School in New York. He clerked in the Northern District of Texas for several years and practiced commercial and intellectual property law in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.
Since 2006, Mr. Loeb has been an adjunct professor at University of San Francisco Law School. He is currently on the Board of Directors for Project Open Hand, a nonprofit organization that provides meals to critically ill neighbors and seniors, and Columbia Law School.
"I am impressed with the research and development rigor behind Achaogen’s pipeline opportunities and their unique antibody discovery platform, and I believe that plazomicin has significant promise for the treatment of resistant gram-negative infections,” said Mr. Loeb. “I am excited to join the Achaogen leadership team and support the continued advancement of the company.”
About Achaogen
Achaogen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company passionately committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel antibacterials to treat MDR gram-negative infections. Achaogen is developing plazomicin, Achaogen’s lead product candidate, for the treatment of serious bacterial infections due to MDR Enterobacteriaceae, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Achaogen’s plazomicin program is funded in part with a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Plazomicin is the first clinical candidate from Achaogen’s gram-negative antibiotic discovery engine, and Achaogen has other programs in early and late preclinical stages focused on other MDR gram-negative infections. For more information, please visit www.achaogen.com.
