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"We are pleased to nominate three highly experienced executives from thesector for appointment by AMT's Shareholders to our Supervisory Board. We areat an important juncture in the development of AMT: completion of theapproval process with the EMA for marketing authorization of the first genetherapy treatment in the Western world and the pursuit of several otherpromising projects. For the next stage of our development we want tostrengthen the Supervisory Board as well as Management. We are excited thatthree highly recognized scientists and executives have accepted to join inAMT's effort," said Ferdinand Verdonck, Chairman of the Supervisory Board."George Morstyn will leave the Board to pursue other activities in his homecountry. The Board thanks George for his highly valuable contributions to theCompany's development during the past two years and wishes him all the bestin his new endeavors."
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"We expect that AMT will derive an enormous benefit from leveraging theimpressive track record of our Board nominees in numerous key areas such asclinical and product development, regulatory affairs, product launches, andlicensing. We consider their acceptance to join our Board as an importantvalidation of our platform and our strategic focus on orphan indications, andlook forward to working together with them," said Jorn Aldag, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of AMT.
"In addition, we are happy to announce the appointments of Dr. ClaudiaMeyer, who will join the Company as Director Regulatory Affairs, and Dr.Gerald Haase as a senior clinical consultant," continued Aldag. "Claudiajoins us from Human Genome Sciences where she was responsible for Europeanregulatory affairs. Prior to that she was responsible for regulatory affairsworldwide for a part of CSL Behring's product portfolio. Gerald was a SeniorMedical Officer at the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agencyfor 13 years. Prior to joining the MHRA, he held several positions as MedicalDirector in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK, France and Switzerland,and from 2005 to 2008 was a clinical consultant with Parexel, one of theleading global clinical research organizations. Both are joining us just at atime where their ample regulatory experience is of highest importance for theCompany."
Background on Board nominees
Joseph M. Feczko, M.D.
Joseph Feczko was, until May, 2009, Senior Vice President and ChiefMedical Officer (CMO) of Pfizer, Inc., and a member of the ExecutiveLeadership Team with global responsibilities for all aspects of the company'smedical, regulatory and safety activities. Following a time in privatepractice, he joined Pfizer in 1982 in New York. He then worked for ten yearsin the United Kingdom for both Pfizer and Glaxo where his responsibilitiesincluded supervising clinical research, regulatory affairs, data managementand safety reporting. He returned to Pfizer in New York in 1996, where heheld positions of increasing responsibility in clinical research, andregulatory affairs and safety, culminating in the role of CMO.
Dr. Feczko is currently a member of the Board of Directors of theFoundation for the National Institutes of Health, Research!America, theInternational Longevity Center and the New York Academy of Medicine (all US).
He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Accordia Global HealthFoundation and the Technical Expert Committee for Trachoma on theInternational Trachoma Initiative of the Task Force for Global Health. He isalso a member of the Governing Board of the Technology Strategy Board of theUnited Kingdom.
He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of CardozPharmaceuticals AB (Sweden), and a member of the Board of Directors of KeryxBiopharmaceuticals, Inc. (US).
Dr. Feczko is board-certified in Internal Medicine and a specialist inInfectious Diseases. He has a B.Sc. degree from Loyola University Chicago,and an M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Steven H. Holtzman
Steven Holtzman, Executive Chairman of Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(US), is a highly experienced biotech entrepreneur, who has founded and led anumber of life sciences companies. He also has substantial experience inbuilding collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies and licensingproducts. From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Holtzman served as a Presidential Appointeeto the United States National Bioethics Advisory Commission, the principaladvisory body to the President and Congress on ethical issues in thebiomedical and life sciences.
Mr. Holtzman served as Chief Executive Officer 2006 to 2009 and President2007 to 2008 of Infinity Pharmaceuticals. He was also a co-founder ofInfinity Discovery, Inc. and served as its Chief Executive Officer and asChair of its Board of Directors from inception in 2001 until the time of itsmerger with Infinity Pharmaceuticals' predecessor company in 2006. He alsoserved as President of Infinity Discovery from 2001 to 2006. From 1994 to2001, he served as Chief Business Officer of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(US), a publicly traded pharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Millennium,from 1986 to 1994 Mr. Holtzman was a founder and Executive Vice President ofDNX Corporation, a publicly-traded biotechnology company.
In addition to his role at Infinity, he is currently a member of theBoard of Directors of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (US) and SartoriPharmaceuticals, Inc. (US).
Mr. Holtzman graduated from Michigan State University and received hisB.Phil. from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.
Francois Meyer
Francois Meyer was General Director for Research and Development atAventis Pharma, France until 2002 and subsequently Director-General ofAventis' Gene Therapy Division, Gencell, until his retirement in 2006. Hejoined Gencell as Vice-President in 1996, within the Rhone-Poulenc Group,prior to the formation of Aventis when Rhone-Poulenc merged with Hoechst. Hewas promoted to Vice President of RPR Global Research in 1997, and CorporateSenior Vice President of Global Research in 1998.
In 1992, Dr. Meyer joined Sandoz Pharma's gene and cell therapy businessas Vice President, while he also served as a member of the company'sCorporate Research Board. From 1989 to 1992, he was Director of Research atthe CNRS. From 1980 - 1984, he built and headed the Molecular Geneticsdepartment in the newly formed Biotechnology division at Ciba-Geigy, where hewas responsible for the discovery and production of new recombinant proteins.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of BioSeek, Inc. (US), IntrogenTherapeutics, Inc. (US), Gene Therapy, Inc. (US), and Urogene SA (France),and a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of Genethon (France),Systemix, Inc. (US) and Biotransplant, Inc. (US).
Dr. Meyer graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology(ETFH), in Zurich, and studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at theUniversity of Zurich. He received his Ph.D. from the Institute for MolecularBiology in 1978, and became a Senior Member at the Institute. During hiscareer, Dr. Meyer has also served as a lecturer in Molecular Biology at theSwiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Details for the Extraordinary General Meeting
AMT's EGM is scheduled for September 20, 2010 at 12.00 noon, at theCompany's offices, Meibergdreef 61, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The formalnotice of the EGM can be accessed within the investor section athttp://www.amtbiopharma.com.
About Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics
AMT, founded in 1998 and based in Amsterdam, is a leader in thedevelopment of human gene based therapies. Using AAV as the delivery vehicleof choice for therapeutic genes, the company has been able to design andvalidate what is probably the first stable and scalable AAV productionplatform. This safe and efficacious proprietary platform offers a uniquemanufacturing capability which can be applied to a large number of rare(orphan) diseases that are caused by one faulty gene. Currently, AMT has aproduct pipeline with several AAV-based gene therapy products in LPLD,Hemophilia B, DMD, Acute Intermittent Porphyria and Parkinson's Disease atdifferent stages of research or development.
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements"including those that refer to management's plans and expectations for futureoperations, prospects and financial condition. Words such as "strategy,""expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues,""estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words ofsimilar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management ofAmsterdam Molecular Therapeutics only. Undue reliance should not be placed onthese statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known andunknown risks and can be affected by factors that are beyond the control ofAMT. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations due toa number of factors and uncertainties affecting AMT's business, including,but not limited to, the timely commencement and success of AMT's clinicaltrials and research endeavors, delays in receiving U.S. Food and DrugAdministration or other regulatory approvals (i.e. EMA, Health Canada),market acceptance of AMT's products, effectiveness of AMT's marketing andsales efforts, development of competing therapies and/or technologies, theterms of any future strategic alliances, the need for additional capital, theinability to obtain, or meet, conditions imposed for required governmentaland regulatory approvals and consents. AMT expressly disclaims any intent orobligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required bylaw. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertaintiesaffecting AMT, refer to the prospectus of AMT's initial public offering onJune 20, 2007, and AMT's public announcements made from time to time.
SOURCE Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics B.V
