New senior executives bring significant biopharma experience
as Persica moves to next phase of its development
London, UK, 23 March 2026 - Persica Pharmaceuticals Limited (Persica), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain (cLBP), today announces that it has appointed Dr Edward Littler as Executive Chairman and David Watson as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Steve Ruston, who is retiring after 13 years at the company. Steve will remain on Persica’s board as a Non-Executive Director.
These leadership changes further strengthen the company at a critical point in its development, following the positive Phase 1b clinical data for PP353, a targeted intradiscal therapy for cLBP associated with Modic changes. The randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled (placebo) trial showed that PP353 significantly reduced pain, improved patients’ ability to function in daily life, and reduced their use of painkillers, including opioids. The data was published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine earlier this year and was selected for an oral presentation at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) 2026 Annual Meeting, 19-21 March in New Orleans.
Dr Edward Littler is an expert microbiologist and a seasoned biotechnology executive with deep expertise in drug development. Edward served as CEO at ReViral Ltd for nearly six years, raising over $100 million for ReViral and other companies and overseeing the development of a first-in-class Respiratory Syncytial Virus inhibitor through Phase 2a clinical trials. He was pivotal in the company’s $550 million acquisition by Pfizer in 2022. He currently serves as Executive Chairman of Domainex and Chairman of MetalloBio.
David Watson is an accomplished biotechnology leader with more than 35 years of experience driving growth and innovation across the life sciences sector. His background spans clinical and corporate development, operations, asset and program leadership, and executive leadership. Most recently, David served as Chief Operating Officer at Enara Bio and Draig Therapeutics. Prior to this, he served as VP of Program Leadership at Immunocore and held senior leadership roles at Biogen and Amgen. David has played a direct role in securing more than $200 million across Seed, Series A, and Series B financings and brings deep expertise and know-how in late-stage drug development.
Dr Edward Littler, Executive Chairman of Persica Pharmaceuticals, said: “I'm delighted to be joining Persica at this pivotal moment in the company's development. The Phase 1b data provide compelling proof-of-concept that directly targeting the underlying infection in the disc can deliver meaningful and durable improvements for a significant group of patients with chronic Low Back Pain - and offer an opioid-sparing treatment. David brings exceptional scientific, clinical and strategic insight that will be instrumental as Persica moves from early clinical validation to late-stage development. I look forward to working closely with him and the Board. On behalf of the company, I would also like to thank Steve, a founder of Persica Pharmaceuticals, for his huge contribution over many years.”
David Watson, Chief Executive Officer at Persica Pharmaceuticals, said: “Chronic Low Back Pain affects millions of people worldwide who remain poorly served by existing therapies that primarily manage symptoms without addressing the underlying cause. We now have an opportunity to further investigate the disease-modifying potential of PP353 in later-stage trials and to change the way chronic Low Back Pain is treated. I am excited to join Persica at this important moment and look forward to working with the team and reaching the next stage of development and, ultimately, getting effective treatments to patients in need.”
Steve Ruston, board member at Persica Pharmaceuticals, said: “It has been a great privilege to have led Persica in the development of PP353. Having reached this pivotal point, I have decided the time has come to hand over the reins to someone who can see our product to market and make our dream of improving the lives of many cLBP patients a reality.”
For further information:
ICR Healthcare - Tracy Cheung, Chris Welsh, Emily Johnson
persica@icrhealthcare.com
About Persica Pharmaceuticals
Persica Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing PP353, a groundbreaking and transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain (cLBP) with Modic type 1 changes. Modic changes are a sign of inflammation, visible on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans at the vertebral endplate adjacent to a degenerate lumbar disc, and which can extend into the body of the vertebrae. PP353 is a patented, targeted intradiscal injection that is delivered directly to the site of infection. It is a non-opioid treatment which addresses an underlying cause of cLBP, rather than just the symptoms, and removes the need for extended duration of antibiotic treatment.
About PP353
PP353 (intradiscal linezolid) is a suspension of linezolid powder in a thermosensitive vehicle, which is liquid at room temperature but increases in viscosity when injected into the site of infection and warmed to body temperature. This increase in viscosity prevents PP353 from leaking out of the degenerate disc into adjacent tissues during injection. PP353 also contains a radio-opaque dye, which allows the physician to use image guidance to make sure the gel is positioned correctly in the target disc on injection.
About chronic Low Back Pain with Modic Type 1 changes
Chronic Low Back Pain (> 6 months) with Modic Type 1 changes is a common patient subgroup. These patients are readily identifiable on MRI and typically suffer from moderate to severe persistent pain and disability with limited relief from the current standard of care - physiotherapy and analgesia including opioids - with a prevalence of four million patients in the US, EU and Japan. Current treatment options provide only limited short-term relief or involve invasive, irreversible nerve ablation, which does not address the underlying cause of the pathology, i.e., a suspected disc infection.
