MALVERN, PA — Uniquity Bio has appointed former Goldman Sachs biotechnology banker Matthew Hartzell as chief financial officer as the clinical-stage biotechnology company prepares for multiple Phase II data releases and potential late-stage development of its lead drug candidate.
The appointment comes as the Blackstone Life Sciences-backed company advances solrikitug, an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), with topline Phase II trial results in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and eosinophilic esophagitis expected later this year.
Uniquity said Hartzell will help guide the company’s financial strategy as it prepares for potential fundraising efforts, evaluates strategic alternatives and positions solrikitug for Phase III clinical development.
Hartzell most recently served as a vice president in Goldman Sachs’ Global Healthcare Group, where he advised biotechnology companies on financing, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic transactions.
According to the company, Hartzell advised on more than $65 billion in biotechnology mergers and acquisitions and more than $6 billion in equity financings during his investment banking career. Before joining Goldman Sachs, he worked as a biotechnology investor at Casdin Capital and as an investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Will Kane, president and chief executive officer of Uniquity Bio, said Hartzell’s capital markets experience aligns with the company’s next stage of development. “He has helped many biotech companies raise the capital needed to meet their strategic goals, and we are confident that his leadership will support our efforts” as the company prepares for Phase III trials.
Kiran Reddy, a senior managing director at Blackstone Life Sciences and a member of Uniquity’s board, said Hartzell’s background advising biotechnology companies on financing and strategic transactions will be valuable as the company expands its development plans and evaluates future growth opportunities.
In addition to completing Phase II studies of solrikitug, Uniquity said it is evaluating future bispecific and combination therapies designed to pair the drug with other inflammatory targets in an effort to improve efficacy or expand the number of patients who could benefit from treatment.
Solrikitug was licensed to Uniquity from Merck & Co. Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.
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