Tag: preclinical development

Company News: Anergis Appoints Kim Simonsen as Chief Development Officer

– Senior Biotech Executive brings over 25 years of drug development expertise

Anergis, a company developing novel and proprietary ultra-fast allergy immunotherapeutics, today announced the appointment of Kim Simonsen, MD, as Chief Development Officer. Mr. Simonsen will head Anergis´ global product development from preclinical development to registration, including CMC, clinical development, regulatory affairs and global project management.

Kim Simonsen joins Anergis from Ablynx NV, where he was Chief Operations Officer. Prior to that, he was Senior Director, Global Clinical Development, at ALK Abello A/S, where he led the clinical development of Grazax®, the first marketed grass pollen allergy immunotherapy tablet. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Simonsen was Chief Executive Officer of the CRO Medicon A/S after having held various clinical development roles at big pharmaceutical companies, e.g. as Medical Director of Novartis Healthcare A/S, Director of Clinical Operations at Novo Nordisk A/S, and as Medical Director and Clinical Expert at Sandoz A/S.

Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry in 1986, Mr. Simonsen trained as an MD at Copenhagen University and worked for five years at two different clinics in the Copenhagen area, focusing on internal medicine (gastroenterology, respiratory, cardiology). During his career, Mr. Simonsen has gained extensive experience in clinical drug development, including regulatory affairs, clinical pharmacology, and the design and management of clinical trials and pharmacovigilance. His expertise covers an extensive range of disease indications, incl. allergy immunotherapy, immunology, oncology, rheumatology, and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.

Company News: biocrea’s First-in-class PDE2 Inhibitor Demonstrates Strong Potential For The Treatment Of Cognitive Disorders

– Data on novel PDE2 inhibitor BCA909 presented at 24th ECNP Congress in Paris –

biocrea, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on novel treatments for disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), today announced data on its innovative CNS-penetrating PDE2 inhibitor. The compound, which is code-named BCA909, was selected as a candidate for preclinical development  earlier this year. It demonstrates strong potential for the treatment of diseases in which normal learning and memory is impaired, e.g. mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Details on the compound were presented at the 24th ECNP Congress of the European College of Neuropharmacology in Paris, France (Sept. 3-7, 2011).

To date, few PDE2 inhibitors have been pharmacologically characterized. While initial findings have been encouraging, suggesting pro-cognitive and anxiolytic efficacy, the compounds did not enter the brain in sufficient quantities. With BCA909, biocrea has developed a novel, potent and selective PDE2 inhibitor with excellent CNS penetration and an efficacy and safety profile suitable for further development for multiple disease indications.

During the ECNP congress, biocrea presented data from extensive preclinical studies in vitro and in animal models of learning and memory. The key findings demonstrate that BCA909 delivers significant pro-cognitive activity in models of cognitive impairment resulting from either disruption of cholinergic or glutamatergic neurotransmission. Furthermore, BCA909 does not induce tolerance, indicating that maintained pro-cognitive efficacy, achieved through modulation of multiple neurotransmitter systems, can be delivered by the novel PDE2 mechanism of action.

Preclinical development of BCA909 is ongoing.