BIO Special: Advancing kidney disease care, Eric Dobmeier, President & CEO, Chinook Tx
Jun 6, 2023
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Eric Dobmeier, President and CEO of Chinook Therapeutics, discusses the landscape of kidney disease, the current unmet need, opportunities in the space, and growing interest in kidney disease amongst big pharma. He also talks about Chinook's progress in developing precision medicines for rare chronic kidney diseases.
The landscape of kidney disease presents a significant unmet need, with limited therapeutic options that focus on managing symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause.
Chinook Therapeutics has three clinical stage programs focused on rare severe chronic kidney diseases, including Atrasentan for IgA nephropathy and BION-1301 for immune complexes in IgA nephropathy.
Deep dives
Eric Dabmeyer's Journey and Lessons Learned in Biotech
Eric Dabmeyer, president and CEO of Chinook Therapeutics, shares his career trajectory from being a lawyer to working at Seattle Genetics and eventually leading Chinook. He emphasizes the importance of being open to new opportunities and taking chances in one's career. Dabmeyer highlights the challenges faced by biotech companies, including multiple drug failures and the need for persistence and hard work. He also discusses the complexities of pursuing clinical programs in kidney disease, the unmet needs in the field, and the growing interest from big pharma and biotechs in this area. Dabmeyer provides insights into the value of partnerships, the importance of a clear mission and corporate values, and the benefits of hiring great people and delegation. He acknowledges the shift in his role as CEO from handling multiple jobs to focusing on strategy, investor relations, and financing. Lastly, Dabmeyer offers advice to his younger self, including taking more science courses and allowing for breaks throughout his career.
Kidney Disease Landscape and Unmet Needs
Eric Dabmeyer discusses the landscape of kidney disease, highlighting that it affects around 10% of the global population and is often a silent and progressive disease. He emphasizes the high financial burden and limited therapeutic options, with most available treatments focused on managing symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause. Dabmeyer stresses the significant negative impact on patients' quality of life and the urgent need for drugs that can slow down or halt the progression of kidney disease. He explains that despite the large patient population and healthcare costs associated with kidney disease, there has been comparatively less research, funding, and focus on developing therapies in this field. However, he mentions the growing interest from big pharma and biotechs in exploring kidney disease and the potential for advancements in treatment options.
Chinook Therapeutics' Clinical Stage Programs
Eric Dabmeyer provides an overview of Chinook Therapeutics' three clinical stage programs. The lead program is Atrasentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist being developed for IgA nephropathy. Dabmeyer highlights the drug's potential to reduce fibrosis and inflammation in the kidney and its applicability to other chronic kidney diseases. He discusses the ongoing Phase 3 trial and the anticipated readout in the second half of the year. He also mentions Chinook's second program, BION-1301, an anti-April monoclonal antibody with a mechanism of action targeting immune complexes in IgA nephropathy. Dabmeyer shares promising data from the Phase 2 trial and plans to start a Phase 3 trial. Additionally, he mentions a kidney stone program focused on developing an oral small molecule for genetic and idiopathic hyperoxaluria. Dabmeyer emphasizes Chinook's focus on rare severe chronic kidney diseases and mentions ongoing research programs in other areas.
Navigating the Biotech Industry and Challenges Ahead
Eric Dabmeyer reflects on his experience as a biotech CEO and offers insights into managing the industry's ups and downs. He emphasizes the importance of having a clear mission, being genuine, and hiring great people who align with the company's values. Dabmeyer encourages delegation and empowering employees while also remaining focused on investor relations, financing, and strategy. He acknowledges the current challenging capital market environment and the need for companies to be creative and consider partnerships. Dabmeyer also discusses the evolving role of a CEO and the shift in focus from survival and multitasking in early stages to communication, decision-making, and team collaboration as the company grows. He shares his personal advice, including the significance of patience, passion, and breaks in one's career.
Synopsis:
Eric Dobmeier is the President and CEO of Chinook Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering, developing and commercializing precision medicines for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases. Eric discusses how his early years as a lawyer working in-house as general counsel for Seattle Genetics (now Seagen), ultimately led him to running his own biotech company. He talks about the landscape of kidney disease, the current unmet need, what opportunities he sees in the space, and the growing interest in kidney disease amongst big pharma. He also discusses the progress Chinook has made over the last several years, particularly the three clinical stage programs they currently have, and what’s ahead for the company.
Biography:
Eric is President and CEO of Chinook Therapeutics. Previously, he was President and CEO of Silverback Therapeutics, a Seattle-based biotechnology company in the immuno-oncology space. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years at Seattle Genetics, most recently as Chief Operating Officer, where he oversaw business development, corporate communications, manufacturing, program/alliance management activities and corporate strategy initiatives. While at Seattle Genetics, Eric was also directly involved in raising more than $1.2 billion in equity capital, and led negotiation and completion of multiple corporate alliances with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Earlier in his career, he represented technology companies in connection with public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions and corporate partnering transactions. Eric has a J.D. from University of California, Berkeley School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Princeton University. He is also a director of Atara Biotherapeutics and Structure Therapeutics.
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