Michael Aldridge appointed Focal Medical CEO

Biopharmaceutical company Focal Medical, Inc. has announced the appointment of Michael Aldridge as the Company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Focal Medical develops novel therapeutic products based on its innovative and patent protected local drug delivery technology platform.

Aldridge joins the company with more than 25 years of experience in the biopharma industry.

Aldridge led life science startups and growth stage companies including Peplin, Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Codexis and most recently, Hexima.Joseph M. DeSimone, Focal Medical Founder and Non-executive Chairman, said:

“I’m extremely proud of the progress we have made on our local drug delivery platform to bring us to this point, and I’m excited to be working with Michael to lead the growth and development of Focal Medical into our next chapter.”

The company’s lead product candidate uses its patented iontophoresis system for the local delivery of gemcitabine (an FDA-approved chemotherapeutic) actively and directly to the tumour to treat advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer.

DeSimone added:

“As we prepare for our first clinical trial in pancreatic cancer and progress exciting new research in treating additional solid tumours and genomics medicine products, the future is very promising.”

In preclinical studies, 100 per cent of pancreatic cancer tumours treated with gemcitabine using the system shrunk by an average of 40 per cent, while tumours treated with intravenous gemcitabine grew an average of 140 per cent.

Focal Medical plans to initiate its first clinical trial in 2023.

Aldridge said:

“I’m thrilled and humbled to be joining the Focal Medical team as CEO.

“The team has been outstanding, demonstrating the potential of Focal Medical’s local drug delivery platform and we are well positioned to take a giant leap forward into new product opportunities.

“I’m excited to lead the Company into a new era of innovative therapeutic products based on Focal Medical’s energy-based delivery platform particularly in oncology and gene therapy.”