CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Radius has added Louis St. L. O’Dea, MB, BCh, BAO, FRCP(C), to its management team as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. O’Dea brings to Radius more than 13 years of industry drug development experience. In his new position, Dr. O’Dea will play a pivotal role in building the Radius product portfolio and directing its clinical and regulatory efforts.
“As Radius continues to advance our lead osteoporosis product through clinical trials and move additional drugs into clinical development, the time is right to bring on someone of Louis’ demonstrated abilities,” said C. Richard Lyttle, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Radius. “His deep background in endocrinology-both as a practicing physician and through industry experience-perfectly complements our focus on osteoporosis and women’s health.”
Radius’ lead product candidate, BA058, is an analog of PTHrP (parathyroid hormone-related protein) that is currently in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of osteoporosis. There is increasing evidence that hPTHrP is a critical cytokine in the regulation of anabolic bone formation, with a distinct function from PTH. BA058 has demonstrated in preclinical testing the potential to widen the anabolic window for bone therapeutics, stimulating bone formation with a limited effect on bone resorption. This could enable improved convenience over currently available anabolic therapies, resulting in greater compliance and, ultimately, greater benefit to patients.
Osteoporosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly people worldwide, and there is a major need for new drugs that build back lost bone to complement existing osteoporosis drugs that prevent resorption and further bone loss.
“I am delighted to be leading Radius’ clinical and regulatory operations as the momentum builds for the company,” said Dr. O’Dea. “Radius has the potential to change the treatment of osteoporosis and is focused on other major new treatments for women’s health. We will take full advantage of the company’s scientific leadership in the fields of bone metabolism, nuclear hormone receptors, and endocrinology to bring these important new products to market.”
Dr. O’Dea has more than 28 years of experience in internal medicine, endocrinology, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug development. Prior to joining Radius, he was Vice President and Head of Clinical Development for the Metabolic and Reproductive Health unit of Serono, where he led development and registration of a number of successful products. Before that he held a series of senior positions in development at Serono, including Vice President for Clinical Development, and Regional Medical Officer, Vice President of Clinical Development in Japan.
Dr. O’Dea received MB, BCh, BAO degrees from University College Dublin, Ireland, followed by postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at McGill University and a Research and Clinical Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University.
ABOUT RADIUS
Radius is a privately held company that is a leader in the discovery and development of a new generation of drug therapies for osteoporosis and women’s health. The company raised $24 million in a Series A financing in November, 2003. Investors include HealthCare Ventures, MPM Capital, and Oxford Bioscience Partners. Radius is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
http://www.radiuspharm.com Contact: Bart Henderson Chief Business Officer (617) 551-4702 bhenderson@radiuspharm.com
Radius
CONTACT: Bart Henderson, Chief Business Officer of Radius,+1-617-551-4702, bhenderson@radiuspharm.com
Web site: http://www.radiuspharm.com/
