OXFORD, UK – 6 December 2012 – Circassia Ltd, a specialty biopharmaceutical company
focused on allergy, today announced the appointment of Dr Jean-Jacques Garaud MD to its Board
of Directors. Dr Garaud has extensive pharmaceutical development experience having held a
number of senior roles in the United States and Europe, and was until recently the Global Head of
Pharma Research and Early Development at F Hoffmann-La Roche.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Dr Garaud to Circassia at this exciting time of transformation for
the company,” said Sir Richard Sykes, Circassia’s Chairman. “Circassia has achieved world-
class clinical results with its potentially revolutionary ToleroMune® allergy technology, and recently
started phase III testing with its lead treatment. Dr Garaud’s international R&D and regulatory
experience will prove invaluable as the company completes the development of its cat allergy
treatment, and begins the process of commercialising its first product.”
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Jean-Jacques Garaud said, “I have been greatly impressed
with the clinical results Circassia has achieved with its novel allergy treatments, and by the quality
of the company’s development work. I believe Circassia’s ToleroMune® technology has the
potential to transform the allergy field, and look forward to contributing to the company’s success
as it progresses its first product to market.”
Dr Jean-Jacques Garaud has over 25 years’ experience of pharmaceutical research and
development having worked for significant periods in both the United States and Europe. He
began his industry career as a Clinical Research Physician, and went on to hold positions of
increasing seniority at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Schering-Plough, where he became Executive
Vice President of Worldwide Clinical Research. He subsequently held a number of roles at
Novartis, including Global Head of Clinical Research and Development. On moving to F
Hoffmann-La Roche, Dr Garaud became Global Head of Pharmaceutical Development and Chief
Medical Officer, and most recently led Roche Pharma Research and Early Development. During
his career he led the development and subsequent approval of many products, including
Actemra®, Asmanex® and Nasonex®. Prior to his time in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Garaud
practised medicine at the Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris, France after gaining his medical
degree at the University of Paris.
About Circassia’s ToleroMune® allergy technology
Circassia is developing a range of allergy treatments based on its novel, proprietary ToleroMune®
technology. This uses rationally-designed synthetic allergen peptides to generate regulatory T cells to
control allergic responses and induce immune tolerance. Circassia has successfully completed a number of
phase II studies with its cat, house dust mite, ragweed and grass allergy therapies, and the company’s lead
product recently entered phase III testing. Clinical results show that short, simple courses of ToleroMune®
allergy treatments can greatly reduce patients’ allergic responses, while proving extremely well tolerated. In
a follow-up clinical study*, patients’ symptoms were significantly improved compared with placebo one year
after the start of a four dose treatment given over just 12 weeks. As a result, ToleroMune® treatments offer
major potential clinical benefits compared with existing therapies, and have significant market opportunities.
More than 150 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis in the US and Europe, and the current treatment
market is valued at approximately $12 billion per year.
About Circassia
Circassia was founded by a team of highly experienced biotechnology scientists and entrepreneurs, and is
chaired by the former Chairman of GlaxoSmithKline, Sir Richard Sykes. The company is based in the UK on
the Oxford Science Park, and its joint venture with McMaster University (Adiga Life Sciences Inc) is located
in Hamilton, Canada. Circassia’s ToleroMune® technology was developed originally by scientists at Imperial
College, London. Having successfully completed five fundraising rounds, Circassia has raised approximately
£105 million ($178 million) and is backed by a syndicate of world-class institutional investors, including
Imperial Innovations and Invesco Perpetual.
Contacts
Steve Harris
CEO
Circassia
Tel: +44 (0)1865 784574
www.circassia.co.uk
Rob Budge
RJB Communications
Tel: +44 (0)1865 760969
Mobile: +44 (0)7710 741241
* Patel D et al. Fel d 1-derived peptide antigen desensitization shows a persistent treatment effect 1 year
after the start of dosing: A randomized, placebo-controlled study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012 online 17
September.