OXFORD, UK – 11 September 2012 – Circassia Ltd, a specialty biopharmaceutical company
focused on allergy, today announced the appointment of Dr Brett Haumann as Chief Medical
Officer. Dr Haumann joins Circassia from GlaxoSmithKline where he was Vice President and
Medicines Development Leader responsible for the late-stage development of once-daily inhaled
medicines for the treatment of asthma and COPD.
“I am delighted Brett has chosen to join Circassia, where his extensive regulatory, medical and
development experience will prove invaluable as we move our lead product into the final phase of
clinical testing,” said Steve Harris, Circassia’s CEO. “With his expertise in respiratory medicine,
wide network of opinion leader contacts and proven track record in managing complex phase III
studies, Brett is the ideal person to help Circassia drive its first product to market. We are
confident our ToleroMune® technology has the potential to revolutionise allergy treatment, and the
leadership Brett has already demonstrated in managing one of GSK’s most important development
programmes will help Circassia make this ambitious goal a reality.”
Dr Brett Haumann has over 15 years’ experience of pharmaceutical development gained at Glaxo
Wellcome and GlaxoSmithKline. During this time, he held a number of positions of increasing
seniority, culminating in his most recent role as Vice President, Medicines Development Leader
where he led a multifunctional team developing GSK’s next generation of inhaled respiratory
products. Dr Haumann brings to Circassia extensive experience of leading global phase III
development programmes, managing interactions with regulatory agencies and scientific opinion
leaders, and co-ordinating market access and commercial activities. Prior to his time in the
pharmaceutical industry, Dr Haumann practised internal medicine and conducted clinical research
in South Africa. He gained his medical degree at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa and
also holds an MBA from the UK’s Open University.
About Circassia’s ToleroMune® allergy treatments
Circassia is developing a range of allergy treatments based on its proprietary ToleroMune® technology. This
uses small sections of allergens (epitopes) to generate regulatory T cells that suppress allergic responses
and create immune tolerance in patients. The company has successfully completed a number of phase II
studies with its cat, house dust mite, ragweed and grass allergy therapies. Clinical results show that short
courses of Circassia’s allergy treatments can greatly reduce patients’ allergic responses, without the need for
adjuvants or other immune stimulators, while proving extremely well tolerated. As a result, the 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 in 2006 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