NodThera appoints Dr. Jyothis George as chief medical officer

PHILADELPHIA - NodThera, a clinical-stage biotech focused on NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors for chronic inflammatory diseases, announced Monday the appointment of Dr. Jyothis George as Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately.

Dr. George joins NodThera from Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), where he served as Global Medical Vice President for Obesity and Related Conditions. According to InvestingPro data, Amgen is a prominent player in the Biotechnology industry with a market capitalization of $158.5 billion and impressive revenue growth of 15.6% over the last twelve months. The company maintains a solid 3.2% dividend yield and demonstrates good overall financial health. His previous experience includes leadership roles at Novo Nordisk (CPH:NOVO-B) and Boehringer Ingelheim, where he directed programs in obesity, diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease.

At Novo Nordisk, Dr. George delivered clinical trials for several assets including semaglutide (Wegovy). At Boehringer Ingelheim, he led teams working on empagliflozin, the first diabetes treatment to receive an FDA cardiovascular mortality indication, and the DPP4 inhibitor linagliptin.

"He brings a critical combination of deep clinical and patient insight coupled to recent global leadership in cardiometabolic drug development," said Daniel Swisher, Chief Executive Officer of NodThera, in a press release statement.

Dr. George will spearhead the clinical advancement of NodThera’s portfolio of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors. The company’s two lead candidates are oral, small molecule inhibitors that have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects and high brain penetration.

Dr. George holds an M.B.B.S. from St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore, India, and a Ph.D. in Neuroendocrinology from the University of Edinburgh. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes, and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. For investors interested in deeper analysis of Amgen and similar biotech companies, InvestingPro offers comprehensive research reports covering 1,400+ top stocks, including detailed financial metrics, expert analysis, and valuable investment insights.

NodThera is backed by investors including 5AM Ventures, Blue Owl Capital, Epidarex Capital, F-Prime Capital, Novo Holdings, Sanofi Ventures and Sofinnova Partners.

In other recent news, Amgen has reported positive top-line results from its Phase 3 FORTITUDE-101 clinical trial, demonstrating a significant improvement in overall survival for patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer treated with bemarituzumab plus chemotherapy. The trial’s success marks a noteworthy development in Amgen’s oncology segment, as confirmed by Piper Sandler, which reiterated an Overweight rating on the stock. William Blair also maintained an Outperform rating, highlighting the potential market opportunity for bemarituzumab, despite some concerns about ocular adverse events. Meanwhile, UBS has raised its price target for Amgen to $326, expecting the company to post a modest earnings beat in the upcoming second-quarter results, with strong growth drivers like Repatha and Evenity showing significant year-over-year growth. BMO Capital, however, lowered its price target to $335, citing mixed results from the MariTide readout and adjusting its peak sales estimates for the drug. The firm noted strong prescription trends for several Amgen products, including Evenity and Repatha, but revised its expectations for MariTide due to disappointing data. These developments reflect ongoing momentum in Amgen’s product portfolio and clinical research efforts.

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