Genticel Strengthens Management Team And Appoints Valerie Leroy As Senior Director, Corporate Communications And Investor Relations

PARIS and TOULOUSE, France, April 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genticel (Euronext Paris & Brussels: FR00011790542 – GTCL), a French biotechnology company and developer of innovative immunotherapies treating cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), today announces the appointment of Valerie Leroy as Senior Director in charge of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. Her primary objective will be to develop Genticel's visibility across the financial community, the media and the general public.

"Genticel's immunotherapeutic pipeline is at the forefront of novel cancer treatment strategies that aim to prevent the development of potentially life-threatening tumors at the earliest possible stage. The company's first immunotherapeutic vaccine candidate, ProCervix, could potentially prevent millions of HPV-infected women around the world from developing cervical cancer," said Ms. Leroy. "Furthermore, Genticel's versatile platform, Vaxiclase, can also be used in combination with other antigens to target multiple indications."

Before joining Genticel, Ms. Leroy held a number of operational and strategic global management positions in both Europe and the United States with several industry leaders including: Toshiba, Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences. Beginning in 2011, she was Director of Marketing and Investor Relations at Carmat. Ms. Leroy brings to Genticel over twenty-five years of experience in marketing, in product, corporate and financial communications as well as in business development within the IT and life sciences industries.

"We are delighted to welcome Valerie. Her broad communications experience in fast-paced global industries will help Genticel structure and develop a communications strategy in line with the company's ambitions and future development," said Benedikt Timmerman, Genticel's Chief Executive Officer.

Ms. Leroy holds a Master's Degree in Marketing from the IAE Sorbonne Graduate Business School in Paris.

About Genticel

Answering an unresolved public health issue.

Among the 300 million women around the world currently infected with HPV, 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer are identified each year and 275,000 succumb to the disease. 70% of cervical cancer cases are caused by 2 HPV types and Genticel aims to eliminate them at an early stage, with ProCervix, its first-in-class immunotherapeutic vaccine candidate. The company has already completed patient recruitment for ProCervix's phase 2 clinical trial.

Offering a promising technological platform.

Genticel's versatile platform, Vaxiclase, is ideally suited for the development of immunotherapies against multiple infectious or cancerous diseases . Genticel's second immunotherapeutic vaccine candidate, Multivalent HPV, targets the 6 most pertinent HPV types in terms of global epidemiology and was designed using the Vaxiclase platform. It is currently in preclinical development.

Focusing on value creation.

ProCervix and Multivalent HPV could generate, respectively, over €1 billion and €2 billion per year in revenues. Genticel seeks to establish partnerships as of 2016/2017 for these two immunotherapeutic products. The versatility of its technological platform, Vaxiclase, has generated significant interest in the pharmaceutical industry, as illustrated by the partnership agreement signed in 2015 with the Serum Institute of India Ltd. (SIIL), the world's largest producer of vaccines. This partnership is expected to generate $57 million in revenues for Genticel, before royalties on sales. It will enable SIIL to develop acellular multivalent combination vaccines against a variety of conditions, notably whooping cough.

For more information, visit www.genticel.com

Disclaimer

This press release and the information it contains does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or hold Genticel shares in any country. This press release may contain forward-looking statements by the company with respect to its targets. These statements are based on the current estimates and forecasts of the company's management and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as the company's ability to implement its chosen strategy, customer market trends, changes in technologies and in the company's competitive environment, changes in regulations, clinical or industrial risks and all risks linked to the company's growth. These factors as well as other risks and uncertainties may prevent the company from achieving the objectives outlined in the press release. No guarantee is given on forward-looking statements which are subject to a number of risks, notably those described in the registration document filed with the French Markets Authority (the AMF) on 1 April 2015 under number R.15-015 and those linked to changes in economic conditions, the financial markets, or the markets on which Genticel is present. Genticel products are currently used for clinical trials only and are not otherwise available for distribution or sale.

CONTACT: GENTICEL CONTACT Valerie Leroy Investor Relations investors@genticel.com USA INVESTOR CONTACT Brian Stollar Tel.: +1 (212) 915 2577 bstollar@lifesciadvisors.com INVESTOR CONTACT Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 77 cpuissant@actus.fr PRESS CONTACT Alexandra Prisa Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 90 aprisa@actus.fr

Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.

Back to news