SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today the appointment of Sherwood L. Gorbach, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer & Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Gorbach joins Optimer from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, where he is a Professor of Community Health and Medicine.
“We are delighted to welcome Sherry to our team,” commented Michael N. Chang, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Optimer. “His experience and outstanding credentials in antibiotic clinical research will strengthen and solidify Optimer’s position in the field of anti-infectives.”
“I look forward to assisting in organizing clinical trials of OPT-80, a most promising new drug to treat what has become a major medical problem in our hospitals, Clostridium difficile diarrhea and colitis,” stated Dr. Gorbach.
Dr. Gorbach is a renowned authority on infectious diseases. He has held distinguished hospital and academic appointments including Chief of Infectious Diseases at prominent medical facilities including the New England Medical Center in Boston. He served as the President of the Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society (1990), and he was the President of the Society of Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED) (1995). In 2003, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Recognition of Exemplary Dedication and Leadership at the 3rd Congress on Anaerobic Bacteria and Infections held in Glasgow, Scotland. He is the Chief Editor of Clinical Infectious Diseases scientific journal and on the board of the Journal of Agromedicine.
Dr. Gorbach will be responsible for providing medical and scientific guidance in the clinical development of the Company’s pipeline products. He will direct the design and implementation of the clinical strategy for NDA approval of Optimer’s lead drug candidate, OPT-80, for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). He will also be the key spokesperson for OPT-80 clinical affairs. Dr. Gorbach has served on the Company’s premier Medical Advisory Board for OPT-80 since May 2004.
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in San Diego, California (www.optimerpharma.com), is an emerging biopharmaceutical company with a number of late stage anti-infective drugs in its pipeline. These drug candidates target the treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections. The Company also specializes in using its proprietary synthetic glycol-chemistry technology for drug discovery.
Media Contact: Christina Donaghy (858) 909-0736 cdonaghy@optimerpharma.com
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: Christina Donaghy of Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,+1-858-909-0736, cdonaghy@optimerpharma.com
Web site: http://www.optimerpharma.com/
