Healthcare Industry News:  Sandoz 

Biopharmaceuticals Personnel

 News Release - September 20, 2011

Thrasos Appoints Dr. Andreas Orfanos as Chief Medical Officer

Brings Significant Experience in Clinical Development of Renal Disease Therapeutics

MONTREAL--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- Thrasos, Inc. today announced the appointment of Dr. Andreas Orfanos, MBBCh, FFPM, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Orfanos has over 25 years of international experience in strategy development and executive and operational management in major healthcare sectors, with a particular focus on global pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

“Andreas’ prior experience in renal disease product research and development is invaluable to Thrasos, especially now that we have transitioned to the clinic,” said Richard Andrews, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thrasos. “Our first compound, THR-184 for Acute Kidney Injury, recently entered a Phase 1 trial, and THR-123 is advancing toward the clinic for the treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease. Andreas has been involved in several landmark renal disease studies and has been responsible for leading multiple product candidates from the bench through to commercialization, so I look forward to tapping his expertise as Thrasos continues to advance its renal programs.”

Dr. Orfanos added, “Thrasos has two promising drug candidates that address critical medical needs—acute and chronic kidney disease. It is important to note that there are limited treatment options for both diseases. To meet these challenges, Thrasos designed small peptides that selectively activate key receptors of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family that are involved in cell repair and regeneration. Importantly, the peptides do not stimulate the growth of cartilage or bone. This has allowed Thrasos to capitalize on the therapeutic promise of BMP while also avoiding historical barriers to non-bone repair applications. I look forward to helping make real, potentially significant contributions to the field of renal disease and, most importantly, to helping the patients that suffer from both acute and chronic kidney disease.”

Prior to joining Thrasos, Dr. Orfanos established ORFANOS Global Healthcare Consulting Inc., which focused on creating value for organizations through strategy development and the advancement of medical products and technologies. Dr. Orfanos was formerly Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning and Scientific Affairs at Neurochem Inc. He also served at Picchio Pharma Inc., Novartis Canada Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sandoz Canada Inc., Sandoz Products Ltd. and Lifecare Ltd. He has held various lead roles in strategy development, business development, leadership of specialty business units, and in drug development and clinical management. Dr. Orfanos received his FFPM from the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom and his MBBCh and M.B.A. from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

About Thrasos

Thrasos is a private, clinical stage, bio-therapeutics company focused on the discovery and development of targeted therapies for the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. The Company has advanced two compounds, THR-184 and THR-123, into development for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and Chronic Kidney Injury (CKD), respectively, and initiated Phase 1 clinical testing for THR-184. The Company’s drug candidates were selected from an extensive inventory of active peptide compounds generated by the Company’s technology platform. Thrasos pioneered the design of compounds based on the structure of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family of proteins to activate the Smad transduction pathway. The resulting peptides have been shown to protect, repair and restore cell and tissue function in the kidney and other organs.


Source: Thrasos

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