Aristea Therapeutics Strengthens its Team with Appointments of Executive Medical Director and Two Clinical Scientists as Clinical Programs Progress

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aristea Therapeutics (Aristea), a clinical-stage immunology focused drug development company advancing novel therapies to treat serious inflammatory diseases, today announced the appointments of three experienced drug development experts to key positions as it works to progress and expand its clinical pipeline: Himanshu Patel, D.O., as Executive Medical Director, Jennifer Barnes, Ph.D., as Senior Director, Clinical Science, and Walter Frank Eng, PharmD, as Associate Director, Clinical Science.

"The addition of Himanshu, Jennifer, and Walter Frank to our team will be instrumental in our efforts to advance our ongoing trials of RIST4721 in both our Dermatology and Rheumatology franchises. They will be significantly involved in the completion of our ongoing clinical trials in palmoplantar pustulosis, hidradenitis suppurativa, familial Mediterranean fever and Behcet's disease, and the expansion of our pipeline with additional immunology/inflammation assets," said James M. Mackay, Ph.D., President and CEO of Aristea "We couldn't be more excited to bring them on board."

Dr. Patel is a board certified rheumatologist who worked for over 6 years at Eli Lilly, in the areas of clinical development, patient safety and pharmacovigilance, and medical affairs. While in clinical development, he provided cross-functional support for many early phase molecules across dermatology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology. Dr. Patel has also supported NDAs across indications to a number of regulatory agencies including the FDA, EMA, and PMDA. He has also supported the launch of newly approved therapeutics in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Prior to joining Lilly, he spent 14 years in clinical practice as a managing partner for a large private practice rheumatology clinic with involvement in clinical research, and patient care, and served as part of the teaching faculty for a university hospital. Dr. Patel completed his rheumatology fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin.

"I'm very excited to be a part of the Aristea team and help bring new therapeutics to the many patients with serious unmet medical needs," noted Dr. Patel.