Raising funds for the HLH program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Geneva, Switzerland – 24 September 2014 – Novimmune, a company focused on the discovery and development of antibody-based drugs to benefit patients with inflammatory, auto-immune disorders, and cancer, announces that it will be a Supporting Sponsor of the Matthew and Andrew Akin Foundation’s “700 Miles to Hope” bicycle ride. Funds raised during this charity event will be donated to support the Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) Center of Excellence at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, USA.
The seven-day event begins on Saturday, October 4 2014, with riders leaving Natchez, Mississippi, and traversing five states before arriving at Cincinnati Children’s on Friday, October 10.
“We are proud to support this very worthy cause,” said Jack Barbut, Novimmune CEO. “HLH belongs to one of the therapeutic areas in which we are actively involved. We are very conscious of the immense challenges faced by HLH patients and their families. As a result, it has created a strong personal and emotional commitment among everyone here not only to find a safe and effective treatment for this devastating disease, but also to support these types of community-based efforts.”
The Matthew and Andrew Akin Foundation was founded by St. Louis, Missouri, residents Justin and Kristin Akin after losing their two young sons to HLH in 2009 and 2010.
“All the kids in the hospital, right now, fighting HLH, should be at home riding their bicycles,” said Justin Akin in explaining the significance of the event. “And that’s why we are riding our bicycles for them, because they can’t.”
Additional information is available on the foundation website at www.matthewandandrew.org.
HLH is a severe immune system disorder caused by an overactive and poorly controlled T cell function that triggers aberrant activation of the immune system. The primary form of the disease typically arises in pediatric patients and is lethal if untreated. Even with the current best available care, HLH has a high rate of mortality.
Proceeds from the “700 Miles to Hope” ride will benefit the HLH program at Cincinnati Children’s. The hospital is a treatment destination for children from across the globe, with more than 80 different kinds of immune deficiency and histiocytic disorders, including HLH.
Additional information is available on the hospital website at www.cincinnatichildrens.org/HLH.
For further information please contact:
Novimmune SA
Tel: +41 22 839 71 41
Jack Barbut?CEO?
Andrew Oakley CFO
FTI Consulting
Tel: +44 020 3727 1000
Julia Phillips
Simon Conway
About Novimmune
Novimmune SA is a leading drug discovery and development company focused on the creation of antibody-based drugs to benefit patients with inflammatory, auto-immune and other disorders. To date, Novimmune has advanced seven drug candidates to treat a range of conditions. The company has a diverse clinical pipeline that includes NI-0501, NI-0101 and NI-1401.
NI-0501 is an anti-interferon gamma monoclonal antibody that is currently in a Phase II study as a treatment for the orphan disease Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a potentially lethal inflammatory syndrome.
NI-0101 is a first-in-class anti-TLR4 monoclonal antibody. TLR4 is an important receptor on the pathway leading to the activation of the innate immune system. As such, it has been implicated as a target in drug discovery for a range of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, lung disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. NI-0101 has recently successfully completed a Phase I clinical program and Novimmune intends to initially progress it as potentially the first personalized medicine for rheumatoid arthritis.
NI-1401 is a differentiated anti-IL-17 monoclonal antibody that binds the three forms of IL-17 A and F. It was licensed to Genentech in 2010, prior to Phase I initiation. Genentech has assumed all responsibility and costs for development and is expected to announce initiation of a Phase II clinical program in early 2015.
Novimmune has also developed a proprietary bi-specific antibody platform to help further expand its pipeline.
In addition to pursuing further drug discovery, development and commercialization partnerships, the company plans to bring selected drugs to market for orphan drug applications.
Additional information is available at www.novimmune.com.
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