Kiadis Pharma appoints Dr. Robert Friesen as Chief Scientific Officer
04 Fevereiro 2019 - 2:45PM
Kiadis Pharma appoints Dr. Robert Friesen as Chief
Scientific Officer
Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, and Boston, Massachusetts, USA - February 4, 2019 -
Kiadis Pharma N.V. ("Kiadis" or the "Company") (Euronext Amsterdam
and Brussels: KDS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company,
today announces the appointment of Robert Friesen, PhD as Chief
Scientific Officer (CSO) effective February 1, 2019. Dr. Friesen
will lead the Company's science, discovery and pre-clinical
development activities and will be instrumental in building the
Company's scientific platform and identifying other programs for
potential in-license. Dr. Friesen will report to Kiadis CEO Arthur
Lahr and will be a member of the Company's management team.
Dr. Friesen has more than 20 years
of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, leading multiple
Research and Development (R&D) organisations. Dr. Friesen joins
Kiadis from Ablynx where he was CSO until its acquisition by
Sanofi. At Ablynx, Dr. Friesen oversaw a team of more than 300
people who were responsible for more than 40 development-stage
product candidates across a wide range of diseases. Prior to
Sanofi, he served as Senior Vice President of ProQR Therapeutics, a
clinical stage biotechnology company, heading the Science and Early
Development division. Prior to joining ProQR Therapeutics, Dr.
Friesen worked at Janssen BioTherapeutics, a Johnson & Johnson
Company as Global Head of Biologics Research, where he established
an R&D organisation of more than 200 scientists and
professionals located in Europe and US; and at the Crucell Vaccine
Institute, a Johnson & Johnson Company, as Vice President
Preclinical and Clinical Research where he led the team responsible
for discovery, production and preclinical development of monoclonal
antibodies. Before Crucell Vaccine Institute, he was Head of
Preclinical & Early Clinical Development at MorphoSys.
Dr. Friesen has authored a
significant number of high-impact peer-reviewed scientific
publications, with broad expertise in multiple areas of human
health, including oncology, immunotherapy, and infectious diseases.
Dr. Friesen holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of
Texas and performed postdoctoral research at the University of
Groningen.
Commenting on the
appointment, Arthur Lahr, CEO of Kiadis Pharma, said: "I am delighted to welcome Robert to Kiadis. His
outstanding scientific track record and experience
in innovative drug development will add further depth and breadth
to Kiadis as we progress the development of ATIR101 through phase 3
clinical trials."
Robert Friesen,
Chief Scientific Officer, Kiadis, said: "I am
very pleased to join Kiadis Pharma at this exciting stage as the
Company approaches the potential approval of its lead product
candidate, ATIR101, in the EU. I look forward to working with
this dynamic and talented team to build and maximise the potential
of our pipeline."
For more
information, please contact:
Kiadis Pharma:
Amy Sullivan, SVP, Corporate Affairs
Tel. +1 508 479 3480
a.sullivan@kiadis.com |
Optimum Strategic Communications:
Mary Clark, Supriya Mathur, Hollie Vile
Tel: +44 203 714 1787
David Brilleslijper (Amsterdam)
Tel: +31 610 942 514
kiadis@optimumcomms.com |
About Kiadis
Pharma
Kiadis Pharma is developing its lead product candidate, ATIR101,
for use in conjunction with haploidentical HSCT for adult blood
cancers to address key limitations of haploidentical HSCT, without
prophylactic immunosuppression and its associated morbidity and
mortality. Based on the positive results from the single dose Phase
II CR-AIR-007 study, the Company submitted a marketing
authorization application to the European Medicines Agency in April
2017 for approval of ATIR101 as an adjunctive treatment in
haploidentical HSCT for high risk adult hematological malignancies.
If the product is conditionally approved, Kiadis Pharma intends to
launch ATIR101 in selected countries in Europe through its own
commercial organization starting in the second half of 2019.
In December 2017, Kiadis Pharma
commenced an international, multicenter, randomized and controlled
Phase III clinical trial of ATIR101 against the Post-Transplant
Cyclophosphamide, or PTCy protocol, the main protocol used to
perform a haploidentical HSCT. The trial will be performed in 250
patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome at
approximately 50 sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and
certain additional countries. ATIR101 received regenerative
medicine advanced therapy designation from the FDA in September
2017, which provides benefits that are materially equivalent to a
breakthrough designation from the FDA. In addition, ATIR101 has
been granted multiple orphan Dr.ug designations both in the
European Union and the United States.
The Company's shares are listed on
Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels under the ticker KDS.
Forward Looking
Statements
Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this
press release are forward-looking, which reflect Kiadis
Pharma's or, as
appropriate, Kiadis Pharma's directors' current expectations and projections about future events.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of
risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual
results or events to differ materially from those expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks,
uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome
and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A
multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in
demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events,
performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated
development. Forward looking statements contained in this press
release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as
a representation that such trends or activities will continue in
the future. As a result, Kiadis Pharma expressly disclaims any
obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any
forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any
change in expectations or any change in events, conditions,
assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking
statements are based. Neither Kiadis Pharma nor its advisers or
representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such
person's officers or
employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such
forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either
accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the
forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the
actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this press release.
This
announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West
Corporation clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely
responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: Kiadis Pharma N. V. via Globenewswire