Bristol, England / Hasselt, Belgium – 01 November 2010: Apitope International N.V., the
biopharmaceutical company developing peptide therapies for autoimmune diseases,
announces today that Hayley French will join its management team as Commercial Director
with immediate effect. Hayley will be responsible for maximising the potential of Apitope’s
innovative technology platform.
Hayley brings with her over fifteen years’ experience of negotiating licences and
collaborations and managing alliances in the life sciences sector. Prior to joining Apitope,
Hayley spent three years at Novartis, based at the Basel headquarters, where she worked
closely on all global deals and collaborations in the respiratory division.
Prior to Novartis, Hayley worked in the Life Sciences Group of Bird & Bird, London,
specialising in advising pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Prior to joining Bird & Bird,
she was Head of Commercial Legal Affairs at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and
Research (CAMR) in Salisbury, UK. Hayley started her career at University College London
Ventures where she was responsible for the development, management and
commercialisation of technologies in the life sciences sector.
Commenting on Hayley’s appointment, Keith Martin, CEO of Apitope, said:
“Hayley has unique experience in developing and managing biotech-pharma collaborations
and partnerships. Her knowledge and track record from working with both small biotech and
big pharma companies will be invaluable in maximising the potential of our innovative
technology platform. Apitope is at a very exciting stage in its development as we drive
forward our growth strategy.”
Hayley French, Commercial Director at Apitope, said:
“Apitope has grown rapidly in a very short period of time. It has built up an impressive
pipeline of potential therapies to selectively treat the underlying cause of a range of
autoimmune diseases rather than simply treat the disease symptoms or non-specifically
suppress the whole immune system. The agreement with Merck Serono to develop ATX-MS-
1467 for multiple sclerosis, is testament to the potential of the technology platform. I am very
impressed by the highly experienced management team and the potential in the Company
and I look forward to building the business.”
Hayley is chair of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) Education committee
and is a board member of LES Britain & Ireland. She regularly carries out training sessions on
Best Practice Negotiations and Licensing Agreements.
She has a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Liverpool, as well as a PhD in
Microbiology and a M.Sc. in intellectual property from the University of London.
For further information:
Apitope International N.V.
Dr. Keith Martin, CEO
+44 (0)117 920 0062
keith.martin@apitope.com
Capital MS&L
Mary Clark, Head of Life Sciences
+44 20 7307 5330
mary.clark@capitalmsl.com
About Apitope
Apitope is a European biotechnology company focusing on the discovery and development of
revolutionary disease modifying therapies for treating autoimmune and allergic diseases,
including multiple sclerosis, and Graves’ disease. It has headquarters in Hasselt, Belgium and
a subsidiary in Bristol, UK.
The Company is developing potential therapies to selectively treat the underlying cause of a
range of autoimmune diseases rather than simply treat the disease symptoms or non-
specifically suppress the whole immune system.
Its patented, leading edge, high speed discovery platform enables it to identify and design
innovative peptide-based therapies and diagnostics and it has an impressive pipeline of
products in development.
Apitope has a highly experienced management team, with a proven track record in
discovering and developing innovative therapeutics. Its lead product for treating multiple
sclerosis is in Phase I development and is partnered with Merck Serono, a division of Merck
KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
For more information, please go to www.apitope.com