SAN FRANCISCO and HERZLIYA, Israel, Jan. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 89bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other liver and metabolic disorders, today announced the appointment of Hank Mansbach, M.D., as chief medical officer.  Dr. Mansbach will oversee the development of 89bio's pipeline including BIO89-100, its lead investigational product for the treatment of NASH.

"Hank joins 89bio with more than two decades of clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs experience working across all stages of product development in a wide range of disease states," said Rohan Palekar, CEO, 89bio.  "We look forward to leveraging Hank's broad expertise as we grow our R&D organization operationally and continue to advance our pipeline."

Most recently, Dr. Mansbach was head of metabolic and neurology global clinical development at Ultragenyx where he led the clinical development for several programs on rare inborn errors of metabolism. Previously Dr. Mansbach was the VP of medical affairs at Medivation where he played a key role in the development and commercialization of enzalutamide for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Earlier in his career, Dr. Mansbach served as SVP of global drug development at Valeant Pharmaceuticals and chief medical officer at Cortex Pharmaceuticals. 

Dr. Mansbach began his industry career at GlaxoWellcome after clinical practice and research in neurology.  He earned a medical degree from Duke University and a bachelor's degree from Yale University.

"I am pleased to be working with the accomplished team at 89bio to address the significant and growing unmet need in NASH," said Dr. Mansbach.  "Currently in Phase 1, BIO89-100 is a novel long-acting glycopegylated fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) analogue that has demonstrated robust preclinical data and holds potential for extended-interval dosing. If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, BIO89-100 could be a game changer for the management of a complex disease with no approved treatments."

About 89bio
89bio is a privately held biopharmaceutical company building a pipeline of biologic and small molecule treatments for liver and metabolic disorders. The company's lead product candidate for the treatment of NASH is BIO89-100. Currently in Phase 1, BIO89-100 is a novel long-acting glycopegylated FGF21 analogue. 89bio is headquartered in San Francisco with R&D and operations in Herzliya, Israel. Visit 89bio.com for more information.

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Lori Rosen
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SOURCE 89bio