BASEL, Switzerland, Feb. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Noema Pharma, a Swiss-based clinical stage company targeting orphan central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announces the appointment of Michael Gutch, Ph.D., as Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Gutch has extensive experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries and venture capital investment. He served as Executive Director of Corporate Development and Head of Equities at AstraZeneca and was most recently Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Entasis Therapeutics, an AstraZeneca spin-off, where he was involved in the company's private financing rounds, its NASDAQ listing in 2018 and in the strategic partnering of its two lead programs.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Michael to Noema's team. With his impressive background in healthcare and in senior transactional and operating roles, we look forward to the benefit of his leadership and wealth of experience," said Luigi Costa, Noema Pharma's Chief Executive Officer. "Michael will be based in the U.S., where we are planning to expand Noema's operations as we continue the clinical development of our four main therapeutics targeting orphan CNS diseases. Michael's appointment to our management team furthers the company's mission to lead the development and commercialization of treatments for severe CNS conditions with limited therapeutic options."

"Noema Pharma is making fantastic progress with the development of its clinical pipeline to bring its potentially transformative assets to patients with debilitating CNS conditions," said Michael Gutch, Noema Pharma's Chief Financial Officer. "I am very pleased to be joining Noema's experienced and dedicated team and together, leading the growth and development of the company at an exciting and important time."

About Michael Gutch

Michael Gutch, Ph.D., joins Noema Pharma from Entasis Therapeutics, where he served as Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer from 2017. Dr. Gutch was Executive Director of Corporate Development and Head of Equities at AstraZeneca from 2014 to 2017, during which time he oversaw the formation of Entasis as an independent company and its public listing in 2018. Prior to this, Dr. Gutch worked in venture capital investment, first as a principal of Lilly Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Eli Lilly & Company, then as investment director of HIG BioVentures at the investment firm HIG Capital, and finally as Managing Director at MedImmune Ventures, the corporate venture arm of AstraZeneca. Dr. Gutch is also currently a member of the Board of Directors of Albireo Pharma (NASDAQ:ALBO). He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his MBA in Finance from Indiana University.

About Noema Pharma

Noema Pharma (www.noemapharma.com) is a Swiss-based company targeting orphan neurological disorders characterized by imbalanced neuronal networks. The company is developing four mid-clinical-stage therapeutic products in-licensed from Roche with strong safety packages. Lead product NOE-101, an mGluR5 inhibitor, is currently evaluated in Phase 2b in pain associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) and in seizures in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). NOE-105, a PDE10A inhibitor, is in preparation for Phase 2b testing to treat Tourette Syndrome and childhood onset fluency disorders. The company is undertaking validation studies in undisclosed indications for two additional clinical-stage assets, NOE-109, an mGluR2/3 inhibitor, and NOE-115, a triple re-uptake inhibitor. Noema Pharma was founded with the leading venture capital firms Sofinnova Partners and Polaris Partners. Investors include Gilde Healthcare, Invus, and Biomed Partners.

Contacts

Noema Pharma

Luigi Costa

Chief Executive Officer

info@noemapharma.com

Investors

LifeSci Advisors – Guillaume van Renterghem

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

+41 (0) 76 735 01 31

Media

LifeSci Advisors – Bernhard Schmid

bschmid@lifesciadvisors.com

+41 (0) 44 447 12 21

Noema Pharma Appoints Michael Gutch as Chief Financial Officer