NEW HAVEN, Conn, Nov. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Melinta Therapeutics today announced the appointment of Sue Cammarata, M.D. as chief medical officer. In this role, Dr. Cammarata will be responsible for managing the global development and registration strategy for Melinta's product candidates, including delafloxacin, which is currently being investigated in Phase 3 for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Dr. Cammarata has 17 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including valuable experience in the development, approval and launch of several anti-infective brands including Cubicin® (daptomycin) in the EU, and Zyvox® (linezolid) globally. She will report to Eugene Sun, Melinta's executive vice president, research and development.
"Sue's appointment to the executive team comes at an opportune time, as we continue to progress delafloxacin through Phase 3 for ABSSSI and prepare to initiate additional Phase 3 trials including an oral formulation for ABSSSI," said Mary Szela, chief executive officer of Melinta Therapeutics. "The extensive expertise Sue gained while developing and commercializing Cubicin and Zyvox, two billion-dollar anti-infective products that are among the most widely prescribed, will be invaluable as we move our earlier stage antimicrobial candidates into and through the clinic."
Prior to joining Melinta, Dr. Cammarata served as vice president of clinical research at Shire HGT, where she was responsible for clinical development and post approval commitments for novel therapies in rare and orphan diseases. Earlier, she held several senior positions at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, most recently as vice president and global program head for the company's immunology and infectious disease franchises. In this role Sue managed the integration of Chiron's infectious disease portfolio after their acquisition by Novartis in 2006. In addition, she managed the EU approval process for Cubicin's endocarditis and bacteremia indications. Before joining Novartis, Sue held several positions at Pharmacia Upjohn (later Pfizer) where she was an integral member of the team that led the Phase 3 and subsequent global regulatory programs for Zyvox, a first-in-class antibiotic for Gram-positive infections, including those resistant to vancomycin.
Dr. Cammarata has a B.S. in pharmacy from Purdue University and an M.D. from Michigan State University. She completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Henry Ford Health Systems. She practiced pulmonary and critical care medicine for several years in private practice before entering the pharmaceutical industry.
About Melinta Therapeutics
Melinta Therapeutics, based on the application of Nobel Prize-winning science, is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of groundbreaking antibiotics to overcome drug-resistant, life-threatening infections. The need for new therapies for drug-resistant infections is widely recognized as one of the most serious public health issues facing the world today. To meet this need, Melinta Therapeutics is rapidly progressing its late-stage investigational antibiotic, delafloxacin, which is currently in Phase 3 development for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). A key initiative at Melinta is to develop a new class of antibiotics designed to overcome the drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens known to cause serious hospital infections. Melinta Therapeutics is privately held and backed by Vatera Healthcare Partners and Warburg Pincus. The company is headquartered in New Haven, CT with offices in Lincolnshire, IL.
For more information, visit www.melinta.com.