Comanche Biopharma Appoints Richard Colvin, MD, PhD as Global Head of R&D and John McHutchison, AO, MD as Chairman and Director of Comanche Biopharma Australia
- Deeply experienced industry leaders further strengthen Comanche’s leadership and expertise as it advances CBP-4888 as a potential global solution for sFlt1-mediated preterm preeclampsia
CONCORD, Mass., Dec. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comanche Biopharma today announced the strengthening of its leadership team with the appointments of Richard Colvin, MD, PhD, as Global Head of Research and Development (R&D), and John McHutchison, AO, MD as Chairman and Director of Comanche Biopharma Australia. A seasoned industry medical executive, Dr. Colvin will lead Comanche’s global clinical program to investigate CBP-4888, the company’s novel siRNA therapeutic, as a potential treatment for pregnant patients with sFlt1-mediated preterm preeclampsia. Dr. McHutchison, AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), MD, a renowned biotech executive, physician-scientist and drug developer, will help further Comanche’s commitment to deliver CBP-4888 as a global solution for this serious, life-threatening obstetric complication. Preeclampsia affects approximately 10 million pregnancies worldwide each year and leads to an estimated 76,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal and newborn deaths annually.
“We’re delighted to welcome Rich and John to the Comanche team. The addition of these extremely experienced and highly admired industry leaders deepens our expertise, capabilities and commitment to patients as we progress our planned global clinical development for CBP-4888 and advance our mission to develop and make globally available the first treatment targeting a root cause of preeclampsia,” said Scott Johnson, MD, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comanche.
Dr. Colvin joins Comanche from bluebird bio, where he spent nearly seven years, including the last four years as Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D. Previously, Dr. Colvin spent nine years at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as Executive Director, Senior Translational Medicine Expert. Dr. Colvin is also a practicing infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He received his BS in Genetics from Cornell University and an MD, PhD from Duke University. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and was a post-doctoral fellow at MGH.
“I’m elated by the opportunity to lead Comanche’s development portfolio, including our ambitious clinical development plans for CBP-4888, in our pursuit to make all pregnancies safer and bring novel molecular medicines to address high, historically neglected unmet needs in obstetrics,” said Dr. Colvin. “I look forward to working with this stellar team as we strive to set the gold standard for safety and ethics in drug development in pregnant women and finally close the decades-old gap for mothers and babies who are in desperate need of new medicines.”
Dr. McHutchison currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Tune Therapeutics. He previously served as CEO and President of Velia Therapeutics and of Assembly Bio, and continues to serve on Assembly’s board. Dr. McHutchison formerly served as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D at Gilead Sciences. Prior to Gilead, Dr. McHutchison held multiple leadership positions with Duke University Medical Center, including Associate Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Director at Duke Clinical Research Unit and Co-Director of the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Award.
Dr. McHutchison received his degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Melbourne in Australia and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Liver Diseases at the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2018 for his distinguished service to medical research and to the biopharmaceutical industry. The Order of Australia is a prestigious honor awarded to Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement.
“I’m thrilled to join Comanche as Chairman and Director of Comanche Biopharma Australia and, in this capacity, help proactively pave the way to ensure global development and worldwide access to CBP-4888. I look forward to leveraging the scientific innovation embodied by this novel siRNA drug to achieve the same type of progress for preeclampsia that we did for Hepatitis C – namely, make this obstetric complication a thing of the past,” said Dr. McHutchison.
About sFlt1 and CBP-4888
Overexpression of the protein sFlt1 is believed to be a key pathogenic mediator of preeclampsia. When produced in excess by the placenta, sFlt1 is toxic, severely damaging the mother’s blood vessels and impairing the growth of new ones. This overproduction of sFlt1 and subsequent vascular damage result in the widespread maternal signs and symptoms of preeclampsia and in fetal growth restriction.
CBP-4888 is designed to be taken up by the placenta and selectively downregulate the disease-causing overexpression of the sFlt-1 protein in patients with sFlt-1-mediated preterm preeclampsia. CBP-4888 is being investigated for the potential to ameliorate the acute, potentially life-threatening maternal symptoms of preterm preeclampsia. This, in turn, may enable the safe prolongation of pregnancy and continued fetal maturation, thereby minimizing the near-term morbidity and mortality for mothers and their babies, and the potential long-term consequences for both.
About Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication that affects approximately 10 million pregnancies worldwide. It can lead to a range of acute, near-term complications for both mothers and their babies, including multi-organ damage, potential progression to eclampsia (onset of seizures) and premature births. Preeclampsia can also result in lifelong consequences, such as a higher risk of heart disease, chronic hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke for women, and learning disorders, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, blindness and deafness for infants born prematurely.
Globally, there are an estimated 76,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal and newborn deaths annually due to this complication of pregnancy. While preeclampsia can develop in any pregnancy, it disproportionately affects black individuals and those living in low resource settings. The signs and symptoms of preeclampsia can vary and include high blood pressure, acute kidney injury, swelling of the hands and face, severe headaches, vision changes and abdominal pain. Currently, premature delivery of the baby is the only available option for stopping the progression of preeclampsia.
About Comanche Biopharma Corp.
Comanche Biopharma is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company working to make every pregnancy around the world safer by delivering innovative solutions and ensuring they are accessible to patients in need. We are currently developing CBP-4888, an innovative siRNA therapeutic candidate that, if approved, would be the world’s first treatment to target an underlying cause of preeclampsia, an obstetric complication globally responsible for a significant burden of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, which can also lead to long-term consequences for both mothers and their babies. At Comanche, we are committed to the ethical representation of people of all colors and economic status globally in our clinical development programs. Visit us at comanchebiopharma.com.
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