- Seasoned entrepreneur brings 20 years of Life Science industry experience -
Lausanne, Switzerland, August 28, 2015 – Aleva Neurotherapeutics, a leading company developing next-generation implants for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in major neurological indications such as Parkinson´s disease, today announced the appointment of Dr. Philippe Dro to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Dro brings 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in the life science industry, including a pivotal role in executing strategic transactions at several biotech and medtech companies. Until recently, he was Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Supervisory Board of GlycoVaxyn AG, a vaccine company that was acquired by GSK earlier this year. Prior to this, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Endoart S.A., a medtech company developing telemetry-driven implants for cardiac disease and obesity that was sold to Allergan, Inc. From 1999 to 2003, he was Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development at drug discovery company Axovan AG, which was acquired by Actelion in November 2003. Prior to that, he held various position at Novartis, Skyepharma, and Antares Pharma.
Dr. Dro received a doctorate in Pharmacy (Pharm D) from the School of Pharmacy of the University of Grenoble, France, and holds a joint MBA from Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Lyon, France, and Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom.
“We are delighted about the appointment of Philippe Dro to Aleva´s board of directors,” said Chairman Dr. Oern Stuge. “The company has reached major milestones over the past months and has entered a crucial phase in advancing and commercializing its novel, directional DBS lead for patients suffering from Parkinson´s disease and essential tremor. We are sure that Philippe´s experience will be of great benefit in further maturing Aleva´s portfolio.”
“It´s a pleasure to join forces with such an impressive company and an excellent team,” added Dr. Philippe Dro. “I am determined to support Aleva in further accelerating its commercial and business development activities so that its ground-breaking Deep Brain Stimulation products will reach the market for the benefit of patients with these severe conditions.”
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About Aleva Neurotherapeutics
Aleva Neurotherapeutics develops next-generation neurostimulation technologies and devices for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy. Its solutions are designed to be more precise and more efficient than currently available DBS approaches while causing fewer side effects. Based on its proprietary microDBS™ technology, Aleva has developed two novel brain stimulating products with different properties. The first, called directSTIM™, is a complete Directional Deep Brain Stimulation System for long-term therapy in Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor; the second, called spiderSTIM™, is a full solution for intra-surgical placement of DBS electrodes.
The company is a spin-off from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Microsystems Laboratory of Prof. Philippe Renaud. Aleva Neurotherapeutics has raised EUR 14.5 million from renowned private and institutional investors, among them BioMedInvest AG, BB Biotech Ventures LP, Banexi Ventures Partners, Initiative Capital Romandie and selected private investors.
About Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Deep brain stimulation is approved worldwide for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), essential tremor, dystonia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and for the treatment of epilepsy. It is also under investigation for major depression. It is a therapy that relies on the delivery of mild electrical pulses to specific areas in the brain via an implanted lead that is connected to a battery-powered implantable pulse generator. Several clinical groups are currently investigating the application of DBS for other neurological and psychiatric disorders. At present, it is carried out using electrodes that send the electrical current in all directions around the lead.
Contact:
Aleva Neurotherapeutics
André Mercanzini
Founder and CTO
andre(at)aleva-neuro.com
Media Inquiries:
akampion
Dr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth
Tel. +49 40 88165964 / +49 30 2363 2768
info(at)akampion.com
For more information:
http://www.aleva-neuro.com
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