News
5/7/25 — PR Newswire
Altesa BioSciences today announced positive top line results from its Phase 2 placebo-controlled study examining the effects of vapendavir in COPD patients challenged with rhinovirus. In this study, treatment with vapendavir improved overall patient- reported measures of both upper and lower respiratory symptoms and led to a shortened overall course of illness. These positive effects were supported by a reduced level and faster resolution of viral loads in the respiratory system of participants treated with vapendavir.
5/1/25 — Wall Street Journal
Altesa Bio Hires Former GSK Official for Antiviral Drug Development
Dr. Kate Knobil joins the biotech as it looks to combat a viral infection that can be dangerous to patients with the lung disease COPD
Altesa BioSciences has hired a top pharmaceutical executive to help develop a drug for a respiratory infection that is particularly serious for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Dr. Kate Knobil, former chief medical officer of drugmaker GSK, has taken the same role at Altesa, which is advancing a treatment for rhinovirus infections. While the infections are the most frequent cause of the common cold, they can be extremely damaging to people with COPD.
5/1/25 — PR Newswire
Altesa BioSciences Announces Katherine Knobil, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer
Altesa BioSciences, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing new treatments for viral infections in vulnerable populations, today announced the appointment of Katharine Knobil, M.D. as its Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Knobil, who previously served as the Chief Medical Officer of GSK, brings more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development resulting in regulatory approval and launch of blockbuster medicines.
4/23/25 — The Hill
Former Trump official says DOGE cuts undermine HIV legacy
A former top federal health official who served during President Trump’s first term warned that the drastic cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could have “devastating and illogical” impacts on combatting the HIV epidemic. Brett Giroir, who served as assistant secretary for health, wrote in a post on LinkedIn that making progress on the HIV epidemic in the U.S. was one of his first goals when he assumed his new role in Trump’s first administration.
4/23/25 — Linked-in
Ending the HIV Epidemic — Preserve, Protect and Defend the 2019 Ending HIV in America Initiative
When preparing to become Assistant Secretary for Health during the first Trump Administration, I asked myself, and others, “Why were there 40,000 new cases of HIV every year in America?” There was no good answer — except that no one had decided to provide the leadership to make it no longer the case.
4/4/25 — RealClear Health
Re-Learning the Lessons from the Last Century: Why the Texas Measles Outbreak?
As a pediatrician and public health advocate, I have dedicated my career to protecting children from preventable diseases. I have vaccinated children, treated desperately ill children who were not vaccinated, and, tragically, attended the funerals of children lost to diseases we know how to prevent. The recent measles outbreak in Texas is a stark and painful reminder that when vaccination rates decline, lives will be lost.
3/21/25 — Politico
Dr. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health in the first Trump administration, is wrapping up his work Friday as a special government employee advising HHS. He is CEO of Altesa BioSciences.
3/19/25 — PR Newswire
Altesa BioSciences Announces Clearance of Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for Vapendavir
Altesa BioSciences, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing new treatments for viral infections in vulnerable populations, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Altesa’s new Investigational New Drug (IND) application for vapendavir for the treatment of rhinovirus infections in people living with COPD. This milestone paves the way for Altesa to initiate clinical trials in the United States for this patient population.
2/13/25 — Politico
Former Trump Covid testing czar returns to HHS
Giroir working at HHS in temporary unpaid role as special government employee
Brett Giroir, who led President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost Covid-19 testing, is back at HHS. The former official — who was tapped to advise incoming HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on infectious diseases — is one of the few returning senior health officers from Trump’s first term. After departing government, Giroir joined Altesa BioSciences as its chief executive officer, a biopharmaceutical company that has early-stage antiviral medicines in development for Rhinovirus and Hepatitis C.