Ulcerative colitis specialist Sublimity Therapeutics brought on Jesse Hall, M.D., to be its new chief medical officer, as the company looks to advance the clinical development of its lead candidate into a phase 2b study.

Hall joined the Dublin, Ireland, and Solana Beach, California-based company, formerly known as Sigmoid Pharma, from Ardea Biosciences, where he helped lead phase 2 trials as executive medical director.

Before that, he served as a medical director at Amgen, working on the development of Prolia in osteoporosis, as well as an associate medical director at Abbott Laboratories, in its immunology franchise covering Humira and rheumatology.

"Jesse is an accomplished biopharmaceutical executive with a proven track record in drug development resulting in successful submissions across the globe," Sublimity CEO Albert Agro said in a statement. "He will play a pivotal role in shaping Sublimity’s future as our lead pipeline product for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, STI-0529, moves into the next phase of clinical development."

STI-0529, previously known as CyCol, is a cyclosporine-based therapy administered using Sublimity’s proprietary oral delivery platform, which allows for topical treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. STI-0529 is designed to bypass and minimize systemic absorption in the upper gastrointestinal tract and release the drug in the colon.

Cyclosporine is approved in several inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s disease, but is not yet cleared for ulcerative colitis. The drug is being developed in collaboration with Dr. Falk Pharma GmBH, as part of a European commercialization deal that includes milestone payments and royalties.

In May, Sublimity announced a $64 million financing round to further the development of STI-0529, co-led by OrbiMed and Longitude Capital with participation from HBM Healthcare Investments.

"It’s an exciting time to lead Sublimity’s global drug development program. More than 900,000 people suffer from ulcerative colitis in the U.S.," Hall said. "I look forward to advancing the development of STI-0529 to address the significant unmet needs of patients looking for a safer, more tolerable alternative to current treatments."

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