Glasgow, Scotland, 2019 – 18th February 2019 MGB Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of anti-infectives to address the major global problem of antibiotic resistance, announces today the appointment of Chris Wardhaugh as Chief Business Officer (CBO). Mr Wardhaugh will assume responsibility for business development, investor relations and corporate communications as MGB Biopharma prepares to start the Phase IIa trial of MGB-BP-3 to assess the initial cure and sustained cure rates in the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD).
Mr Wardhaugh has over 25 years of experience in the Life Science Sector including being Senior Director of Global Partnering of Quintiles and Head of Business Development and Operations Director of Prostrakan, among others. Most recently, Chris has been Senior Executive Advisor for Nanogenics, Senior Advisor for Clyde Biosciences and the Founder of Sercader Limited and previously he was Chief Operating Officer and President of Clyde Biosciences.
Mr Wardhaugh’s has significant transaction experience, including company acquisitions, funding rounds, market entries and IPOs. He has also overseen the launch of 8 pharmaceutical products (such as Tostran, Abstral, Rectogesic) in the USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, and others.
Dr Miroslav Ravic, CEO of MGB Biopharma, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris to the company. Attracting talented and experienced executives like Chris will facilitate meaningful communication with strategic partners and investors as we work towards bringing our lead product MGB-BP-3 closer to the market. MGB-BP-3, as a bactericidal antibiotic, has the potential to offer a clearly differentiated treatment option for patients with these life-threatening infections caused by resistant or hyper-virulent C. difficile.”
Chris Wardhaugh said “I am delighted to join MGB Biopharma at an exciting time. The need for alternative antibiotics is critical in the face of antibiotic resistant infections, and I believe MGB Biopharma has a significant part to play. The oral formulation of MGB-BP-3 is being developed specifically for the treatment of CDAD, an infection to which the most frequent occurrence of diarrhoea in hospitals in developed countries is attributed and with a mortality rate, of 1 out of every 11 patients aged 65 or older.“
Mr Wardhaugh added: “As we prepare to start the Phase IIa trial to evaluate MGB-BP-3 in patients with CDAD, we will actively be looking for partners to further develop this novel antibiotic and bring it to the market.”