ZUG, Switzerland, October 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The young Swiss biotech enterprise AMVAC AG has gained reinforcement from Prof. Michel Klein, one of the world’s most renowned vaccine specialists. Prof. Klein, who was formerly Vice President of Science & Technology of the Aventis-Pasteur Group, will immediately assume directorship of the scientific sector of vaccine development at AMVAC AG. This distinguished vaccinologist has access to an outstanding network across one of the greatest growth markets and will make a critical contribution in AMVAC AG’s product research and development. Along with the vaccine against bacterial vaginosis already approved in Hungary, Klein is focusing on the further development of a vaccine against prostate enlargement, for which the performance of a clinical phase III study has been approved. In addition, AMVAC AG is preparing new projects for indications unnamed until now. Official statements on more new projects in the pharmaceutical industry will be released in the coming weeks.
Melinda Karpati, CEO of AMVAC, AG says, “Being able to win Prof. Michel Klein is a great success for us and affirms not only AMVAC AG’s executive? direction, but also the continued recognition that we have come to know on the part of experienced experts in the field of vaccine development. His global network and the tremendous experience that Prof. Michel Klein brings to AMVAC AG will help us develop novel prophylactic and immunotherapeutic products in the pharmaceutical industry. Our new CSO’s 40-year career has included numerous scientific publications, distinctions and groundbreaking vaccine developments. He has developed the five-component acellular pertussis vaccine currently on the market, brought vaccines against PIV-3, RSV and flu to phase I/II trials, launched the cancer vaccine program of Aventis-Pasteur and performed more than 40 trials with several prototypes of prophylactic and therapeutic HIV vaccines in collaboration with the NIH, WRAIR, Eurovac and the ANRS. He is the author of more than 350 patents in the fields of vaccinology, immunology, infectious diseases and biotechnology.
About AMVAC AG
AMVAC AG is a young biopharmaceutical company based in Switzerland that is concentrating in the high-yield pharmaceutical industry on an especially high-growth market segment. An average annual growth rate of 13% is forecast until 2010 for the vaccines market, compared with 6% for pharmaceuticals in general. AMVAC products are further characterized by meeting unfulfilled therapy requirements in the fields of urology and gynecology. AMVAC has to date licensed and further developed two advanced immunotherapeutic drugs with gold standard potential. Further products are in the planning stage.
E-Mail:meynert@amvac.ch
CONTACT: Contact: AMVAC AG, Ariane Meynert, Metallstrasse 4, 6300 Zug,
Switzerland, Phone: +41-41-725-32-30, Fax: +41-41-725-32-33, Mobile:
+41-79-793-34-19 / +49-172-775-92-12, E-Mail:meynert@amvac.ch
