Modra Pharmaceuticals Expands Management Team and Provides Corporate Update
— Colin Freund has joined as CEO; Dr. Edwin De Wit appointed Head of
Oncology Development —
— Dr. Alan Barge appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board —
— Modra awarded EUR 2.8 million Innovation Credit from Dutch
Government —
AMSTERDAM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Modra Pharmaceuticals B.V. (“Modra”) today announced several additions
to the management team and Supervisory Board: Colin Freund has joined as
Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Edwin De Wit as Head of Oncology
Development and Dr. Alan Barge as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Eric van der Putten, formerly interim-CEO, has transitioned into the
role of Director at the company. Modra continues to advance its pipeline
of novel oral formulations of chemotherapeutics with lead candidate
ModraDoc006/r nearing completion of a Phase Ib/IIa study in metastatic
castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Separately, Modra has received an Innovation Credit award of EUR 2.8
million from the Dutch government. The credit from the RVO, an agency
executing programs for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, will be
applied to further the clinical development of ModraDoc006/r in prostate
cancer.
“It is exciting to announce these positive developments for Modra, as we
seek to expand and accelerate Modra’s development programs. I am very
grateful to Eric both for a smooth transition and his continued
contributions to the company,” commented Colin Freund, CEO of Modra.
“The company’s unique approach to developing oral alternatives to
classic intravenous taxanes has the potential to overcome many of the
challenges encountered with these therapies, the standard of care for
thousands of cancer patients annually. The recent Innovation Credit
award is a validation of the potential of Modra’s approach and
therapeutic programs.”
Colin Freund has over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industries, with a primary focus in oncology. Prior to
joining Modra Pharmaceuticals, Colin was Chief Executive Officer, QUE
Oncology, Inc., which focused on the development of several early-stage
anti-cancer therapies. Before that, Colin served as the Chief Business
Officer at Transgene SA and also held senior management positions at GPC
Biotech AG and Doubletwist Inc. In these positions, Colin was
responsible for acquiring over $500 million in multiple licensing and
M&A transactions. Colin received his M.A. in Economics and Management
Studies from the University of Cambridge, U.K., and his M.B.A. from
Stanford University, U.S.
Dr. Alan Barge commented: “We are delighted that Colin has joined Modra
to advance our shared vision of developing safe and effective treatment
options that can improve the outcomes and quality of life for many
cancer patients, while also reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
The Board would like to thank Eric van der Putten for his leadership and
are very fortunate to have him continuing to contribute to Modra as a
director.”
Dr. Alan Barge’s experience in biotechnology and in oncology spans over
30 years. He co-founded Carrick Therapeutics and ASLAN Pharmaceuticals.
Prior to this, at AstraZeneca, he served as Vice President and Head of
Oncology and Infection, and European and Global Medical Director at
Amgen. Alan trained in medicine at the University of Oxford and The
London Hospital Medical College specializing in hematology and oncology.
Dr. Edwin De Wit joined Modra from Celsion Corp., where he was the
Senior Vice President and Head of Medical for Europe since 2015. Dr. De
Wit has over 20 years of experience in clinical operations and research
in the pharma and biotech industry and has held leadership roles in
oncology clinical development at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer
Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. His specialties include the
design and implementation of strategic clinical development and medical
affairs plans of novel anti-cancer agents in various stages of
development.
About ModraDoc006/r
ModraDoc006 is a proprietary optimized tablet formulation of the
widely-used chemotherapy drug docetaxel. ModraDoc006 is given in
combination with ritonavir (r), which acts as a booster to increase the
systemic bioavailability of ModraDoc006. ModraDoc006/r combines the
convenience and practicality of one day per week treatment at home,
together with an improved safety profile and the potential for improved
efficacy, as compared to classical chemotherapy which is administered
intravenously in a hospital setting.
About Modra Pharmaceuticals
Modra Pharmaceuticals is contributing to modern cancer treatment options
by designing and developing oral versions of IV taxane chemotherapies
with a substantially improved therapeutic index. Our pipeline includes
two of the most broadly used chemotherapies, docetaxel and paclitaxel,
both of which are in clinical development. Our vision is to work
together with cancer leaders and innovators to be an integral part of
the rapidly evolving landscape of combination therapy.
Contacts
Colin Freund
CEO, Modra Pharmaceuticals
colin.freund@modrapharmaceuticals.com
Tel:
+1 609 933 8008
Trophic Communications
Gretchen Schweitzer or Dr. Jacob Verghese
schweitzer@trophic.eu
or verghese@trophic.eu
Tel:
+49 (0) 89 2388 7735 or +49 (0) 89 2388 7731
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