Paris, November 27, 2013 - THERAVECTYS is a French biotechnology company specializing in the development of vaccines based on lentiviral vector technology. Today the company announced the appointments of Paul GINESTE as Head of Clinical Development and Pierre D'EPENOUX as Head of Strategy and Business Development.
Paul GINESTE, age 43, formerly Director of Clinical Studies at AB Science, will head up clinical development at THERAVECTYS to bring in-house vaccine candidates into the clinics.
Pierre d'EPENOUX, age 46, formerly VP of Strategy and Business Development Europe at Sanofi, will be responsible for THERAVECTYS' strategic planning as well as establishing alliances with leading research institutes and global strategic partners.
Renaud VAILLANT, CEO of THERAVECTYS, adds, "In October 2013, we announced that the company raised €14.7 million to accelerate the development of its vaccine platform and establish international collaborations. Today, we are pleased to confirm the appointments of these two experts and to welcome them at the Executive Committee. With these recruitments, the company will further speedup its in-house clinical development and business development activities, especially internationally."
Bringing advanced vaccine candidates through the clinics up to the market
Paul GINESTE began his career in 1998 with Boehringer Ingelheim as International Clinical Trials Manager before taking over, in 2003, the position of Head of Clinical R&D at Altana. In 2007, Paul was appointed Director of Clinical Studies at AB Science where he led the clinical development in the U.S. and Europe of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of various cancers and autoimmune diseases. Paul holds a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Rouen, France and also holds a Master’s degree in European medical law from the University of Paris 11. "I am really delighted to bring to THERAVECTYS my 18 years of experience in clinical development, from the very early phase up to the latest stages. THERAVECTYS' lentiviral vector technology is likely to provide major therapeutic advances in a great number of diseases. A phase I/II clinical trial for a therapeutic HIV vaccination is currently underway. It is now a question of demonstrating the potential of our technology in patients suffering from other infectious diseases and cancers. For the years to come, this is actually one of our main challenges".
Alliances with strategic partners & leading research institutions
Pierre d’EPENOUX brings 20 years of experience in strategy and corporate development with leading international pharmaceutical companies. In 1995, Pierre founded the affiliate of Merck/Lipha in Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia. Four years later, he joined the headquarters of Merck KGaA in Darmstadt as director of Mergers & Acquisitions where he participated in the efforts to strengthen the presence of the company in the biotechnology field and in the pharmaceutical field in Japan through the acquisition of a local player. In 2002, Baxter Healthcare appointed him as Senior Director of Business Development where he led most of the restructuring of the renal business. In 2009, Pierre joined Sanofi in Paris as Head of Strategy & Business Development Europe, a position he held for four years before joining THERAVECTYS. Pierre is a graduate of the Advancia business school in Paris and Drexel University in Philadelphia. "THERAVECTYS is an ambitious biopharmaceutical company able to work right alongside the global players in the biotechnology arena and the pharmaceutical industry in general. I am convinced by the innovative vaccine approach the company has developed, as well as the quality of the team. I am pleased to bring THERAVECTYS my experience in structuring and negotiating deals as well as the planning of the strategic deployment of organizations."
About THERAVECTYS
THERAVECTYS is a French biotechnology company engaged in the development of a new generation of vaccines based on the lentiviral vector technology, a breakthrough technology originating from fundamental research at Pasteur Institute. It is expected to enable the prevention or the treatment of cancers and major global infectious diseases where the induction of a strong and effective cellular immune response is required: viral diseases (HIV), bacterial or parasitic diseases, cancers, etc. Since its creation, THERAVECTYS has been pursuing the development of a therapeutic anti-HIV vaccine and a phase I/II clinical trial currently underway. By way of a worldwide exclusive agreement with the Pasteur Institute and the financial support from public authorities (Bpifrance, i.e. the former OSEO, and ANR), THERAVECTYS continues to invest in research and development to fight against major pathologies. Alone or in collaboration with other partners, THERAVECTYS plans to shortly begin the clinical development of further vaccine candidates.
Contact THERAVECTYS
Romain Gohaud (CFO)
+33 1 43 90 19 20
contact@theravectys.com
Press Relations - Contact ALIZE RP
Caroline Carmagnol et Christian Berg
+ 33 6 64 18 99 59 / + 33 1 70 22 53 86 / + 33 6 31 13 76 20
caroline@alizerp.com / christian@alizerp.com
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