SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achaogen, Inc. (Nasdaq:AKAO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibacterials to treat multi-drug resistant (MDR) gram-negative infections, announced today the appointment of Mr. Greg Stea to its Board of Directors as a Class II director. In conjunction with this appointment, Chris Boerner, who recently joined Bristol-Myers Squibb as President and Head of the U.S. Commercial business, has resigned from the Board.
"On behalf of the management team and Board, I wish to extend our appreciation to Chris for his contributions to the Company during his tenure on the board and wish him well in his new role at Bristol-Myers Squibb. It is a pleasure to welcome Greg, whose extensive experience in building successful antibacterial sales organizations will be a welcome addition as we continue to advance plazomicin toward its commercial stage," commented Kenneth Hillan, Chief Executive Officer of Achaogen.
Mr. Greg Stea recently retired from Cubist Pharmaceuticals where he served as Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations from 2009 to February 2015, leading all commercial operations, including the launch and sales of Cubicin. Prior to this, Mr. Stea served as Cubist's Vice President, Sales and Marketing from 2007 to 2009. As a member of the Cubist Business Operations team, Mr. Stea led the growth of Cubicin to unprecedented revenues for an acute care antibiotic, and most recently led the launches of Sivextro and Zerbaxa. Having joined Cubist as an original member of the commercial organization, Mr. Stea served as Cubist Vice President of Sales from 2005 to 2007 and Executive Director of Sales from 2002 to 2005, and previously held sales positions at Amgen from 1988 to 1997, where he was the first employee of its sales organization, responsible for the launch of Epogen and Neupogen. Mr. Stea holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Temple University and completed the University of Michigan's executive program as well as Harvard Business School's program in leadership and strategy in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
The annual meeting of stockholders was held on June 10th, 2015 and the proposals included in the Company's proxy statement were passed by a vote of the stockholders. The Company's stockholders elected Dr. Alan Colowick and Mr. John Smither as Class I directors with a term expiring at the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders, and ratified the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for 2015.
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 lung, bloodstream, and urinary tract infections due to Enterobacteriaceae, including, but not limited to, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). 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.