BOSTON, Sept. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Albireo Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALBO), a clinical-stage orphan pediatric liver disease company developing novel bile acid modulators, today announced the election of Roger Jeffs, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Jeffs replaces Denise Scots-Knight, Ph.D., who is departing from the board after nearly 10 years of service.

“I’m pleased to join Albireo at such an exciting time, as it prepares to commence a planned Phase 3 clinical trial of A4250 as a treatment for children with the rare liver disease progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis,” said Dr. Jeffs. “Albireo’s deep experience with bile acid modulation has the potential to result in transformative therapies, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board of directors to contribute to the company’s future.”

Currently, Dr. Jeffs serves as a Senior Advisor to United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company focused in rare diseases, where he worked for 18 years, including as President and co-Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Jeffs helped guide United Therapeutics’ initial public offering, managed its commercial and business development efforts, and oversaw clinical development and regulatory approval of several new drugs.

“We’re pleased to welcome Roger to the Albireo board of directors. He brings more than 25 years of clinical development and pharmaceutical commercialization experience, including the regulatory approval and launch of six rare disease therapies. His experience advancing drugs for orphan conditions and passion for pediatric medicine will be invaluable as Albireo prepares to advance A4250 into planned Phase 3 development,” said David Chiswell, Ph.D., Chairman of Albireo’s Board of Directors. “We extend our most sincere gratitude to Denise for her service. As a founding board member, Denise has played a key role in building Albireo.”

Dr. Jeffs is the co-founder and co-owner of Bull City Select Investments, an investment firm focused on in-licensing and development of early-stage biotechnology assets. Previously, he served as the worldwide clinical leader of the Infectious Disease Program at Amgen Inc. and as a member of the clinical research team at Burroughs Wellcome & Company. In addition to Albireo, Dr. Jeffs is a member on the boards of directors of the public pharmaceutical companies Axsome Therapeutics, Dova Pharmaceuticals and Sangamo Therapeutics. He holds a B.A. in chemistry from Duke University and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

About Albireo

Albireo is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused through its operating subsidiary on the development of novel bile acid modulators to treat orphan pediatric liver diseases and other liver and gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. Albireo’s clinical pipeline includes a Phase 3 product candidate, a Phase 2 product candidate and a product candidate for which an application for regulatory approval has been submitted in Japan. Albireo was spun out from AstraZeneca in 2008.