Healthcare Industry News: BioAlliance Pharma SA
News Release - November 26, 2007
Cytheris Appoints Richard Keatinge as Chief Business Officer
Company Further Strengthens Management Team with Experienced International Biotech Business ExecutivePARIS--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Cytheris SA, a product-oriented biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new and critical agents for immune-modulation, today announced that Richard W. Keatinge, Ph.D., has joined the Company in the newly created position of Chief Business Officer, reporting to Michel Morre, DVM, President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Cytheris, Dr. Keatinge was a Managing Director and Vice President of Business Development at BioAlliance Pharma SA, Paris (Euronext:BIO), where he played a key role in the company’s initial public offering on NYSE Euronext.
In addition to his previous experience in the French biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Keatinge brings more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. biotechnology industry to Cytheris. His responsibilities include worldwide business development activities, commercial partnerships, technology transfer agreements and corporate communications.
The appointment of Dr. Keatinge follows a number of senior appointments announced by Cytheris in April this year in the areas of finance and clinical development. The appointments have been made as the Company moves forward with multiple clinical studies of IL-7 in HIV, HCV and cancer and expects to announce other trials shortly.
“We are extremely pleased to have Richard join the management team at Cytheris, as he brings to the company a broad knowledge of multiple facets of business and corporate development in the biotechnology environment,” said Dr. Morre. “With his recent experience in European financial markets coupled with comprehensive business development expertise, including extensive knowledge of partnering opportunities in Europe, the United States, and Asia, we have strengthened the business aspects of the company and infused our partnering efforts with a seasoned international business executive.”
Before moving to France in 2004, Dr. Keatinge was Vice President of Corporate Development at FeRx Incorporated, a targeted drug delivery company, and earlier was Vice President of Business Development at Digital Gene Technologies, Inc., a gene expression company. For eight years, he was President of Keatinge & Associates, Inc., a San Diego-based biotechnology consultancy serving clients throughout the western U.S. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Corporate Communications at ICN Pharmaceuticals (now Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) (NYSE:VRX ). He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
“I am excited to be joining Cytheris at this critical juncture in the Company’s growth,” said Dr. Keatinge. “Cytheris’ recombinant Interleukin-7, currently under clinical investigation for treatment of HIV, HCV and cancer, is highly promising and I look forward to applying my skills to lead the Cytheris business development initiatives.”
About Cytheris – www.cytheris.com
Cytheris SA is a biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation. These drugs aim at reconstituting and enhancing the immune system of patients suffering from cancer, chronic viral or bacterial infections (such as HIV and HCV) or lympho-depleting treatments (e.g. post-chemo,-BMT and -HCT).
The company's lead compound, recombinant glycosylated human Interleukin-7 (r-hIL-7), is a critical growth factor for immune T cell recovery and enhancement. Clinical trials conducted on more than 60 patients in France and the US have already demonstrated the ability of rIL-7 to expand and protect CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The Company is currently conducting multiple clinical studies of IL-7 in HIV, HCV and cancer.
The Company’s second family of products is based on highly potent NKT/dendritic cell ligands in-licensed from New York University, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and the City University of New York. The product family strengthens innate and adaptive immunity connections and will provide new immuno-therapeutic adjuvants for cancer and chronic infectious diseases.
The company operates from its headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburb of Paris, and its US subsidiary in Rockville, Maryland.
Source: Cytheris
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