Cincinnati’s Akebia Therapeutics names new CFO

Akebia stated it wants Ian A. W. Howes to help expand its pipeline of drugs. Along with anemia and vascular treatments, the company is also developing wound healing and cancer therapies.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Anemia and vascular disorder drugmaker Akebia Therapeutics has named Ian A. W. Howes, the former chief financial officer at Serenex, its CFO and vice president of development (pdf).

Serenex was a lung-cancer drugmaker that was purchased by Pfizer about a year ago and raised a total of $81 million in venture capital. Akebia stated it wants Howes to help expand its pipeline of drugs. Along with anemia and vascular treatments, the company is also developing wound healing and cancer therapies.

Akebia expects in July to file an Investigational New Drug application for AKB-6548, an oral medication designed to create new red blood cells in anemia patients. Akebia raised $15.1 million (pdf) in December in part to start that drug on a Phase I trial this year.

“We have a number of very exciting programs underway and Ian’s experience in capital management, corporate development and operations will be essential in helping the company successfully move into our next phase of value creation,” Dr. Joseph Gardner, president and chief executive officer at Akebia, stated in the company’s release.

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