Immunovant Appoints Michael Elliott Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Elliott previously served as Vice President of Immunology Scientific Innovation at J&J and has led the clinical development of multiple blockbuster immunology products

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immunovant, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMVT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on enabling normal lives for patients with autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Michael Elliott, MBBS, PhD as Chief Scientific Officer.    

"We are extremely pleased to have Michael join Immunovant during this exciting growth phase for the company," said Pete Salzmann, M.D., Chief Executive Officer. "Michael’s demonstrated leadership in developing blockbuster immunology products, in driving innovation via academic collaborations, and in assessing the therapeutic potential of novel mechanisms will be instrumental for identifying additional first-in-class and best-in-class opportunities."

Dr. Elliott is a physician scientist with over 23 years of R&D industry experience. He spent 17 years in leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, serving most recently as Vice President of Immunology Scientific Innovation. In that role he focused on clinical and scientific due diligence of new acquisition targets and developing partnerships between industry and academia. Michael’s career at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies also includes deep experience in developing novel medicines, with particular focus on monoclonal antibodies (mAb).  As Senior Vice President at J&J’s Centocor, Dr Elliott led the clinical development of mAb products in immune and inflammatory disorders from Phase 1 through 3, including the anti-TNF mAbs Remicade and Simponi for a broad range of inflammatory and rheumatic diseases, as well as the anti-IL-12/23 mAb Stelara for psoriasis.

Dr. Elliott joins Immunovant during a highly productive period as the company has three programs in Phase 2 with additional programs under consideration  "This is an extremely exciting period for drug development in the anti-FcRn class," said Dr. Elliott. "I am highly enthusiastic about joining the Immunovant team to work on IMVT-1401, which I believe has the potential to be a best-in-class treatment for multiple autoimmune diseases and to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from these conditions."