Full Press Release Details
ANAVEX appoints Dr. Herv de Kergrohen as CEO to lead company
through clinical trials and future growth
Geneva, Switzerland June 16, 2009 Anavex Life Sciences
Corp. ( ANAVEX ) (OTCBB: AVXL) today announced the immediate appointment of
Herv de Kergrohen, MD, MBA, as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and director.
Dr. de Kergrohen is an accomplished senior executive who has successfully
founded and developed numerous life sciences companies throughout his
With more than 25 years in senior and executive management
positions, Dr. de Kergrohen has extensive experience in building and
transforming organizations. He played a key role in building the life sciences
portfolio with CDC Innovation, an international venture capital firm with over
415-million Euros under its management.
I am excited to join ANAVEX as the company prepares to enter
Phase 1 clinical trials with ANAVEX 2-73, its lead compound for the treatment of
Alzheimer s disease, said Dr. de Kergrohen. With promising results from
pre-clinical studies, ANAVEX 2-73, a sigma ligand, shows potential to alter the
course of Alzheimer s disease through novel synergies of sigma and other
receptors involved in neuroprotection, mnesic mechanisms and apoptosis. This new
approach, backed by leading scientists, has given ANAVEX a large pipeline
through its productive drug discovery platform, not only in CNS, but also in
cancer therapy. I look forward to steering the company through its next phase of
Dr. de Kergrohen has held CEO, chairman or director roles with
more than 12 companies in the United States and Europe. During his tenure as CEO
of Praxim, Dr. de Kergrohen led the company beyond R&D to become an
innovative orthopedic provider and a leader in robotic-assisted surgery.
In 2000, Dr. de Kergrohen co-founded Global Biomedical
Partners, the asset management firm of International Biomedicine Holdings
( IBMH ), a $400-million fund based in Basel, Switzerland. Under his guidance
IBMH became the lead investor in several emerging biotech companies in the U.S.
before they became NASDAQ listed.
ANAVEX is pleased and privileged to welcome an executive of
Dr. de Kergrohen s caliber to the company, said Harvey Lalach, President of
ANAVEX. We look forward to his contributions and leadership as we work towards
proving the safety and efficacy of our compounds in clinical trials and confirm
the excellent results achieved to date in animal models.
Dr. de Kergrohen s background includes work as a fund manager
with public equity funds such as DH LifeSciences, which he founded while working
as the head analyst at Darier Hentsch & Cie in Geneva. He also led the
worldwide healthcare team of UBS Asset Management, advising the management of $1
From 1989 to 1995, Dr. de Kergrohen worked in the U.S.
pharmaceutical industry at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals and GD Searle, holding various
positions in drug development and marketing.
Dr. de Kergrohen currently serves as an advisor to various
public organizations such as Eclosion, a Geneva-based biotech incubator that he
helped create, the Handicap Agency in Paris and the United Nations Development
Program. He is the founder of BioData, a biotech conference held annually in
Dr. de Kergrohen holds a Medical Degree from Universit Louis
Pasteur in Strasbourg and a MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France). He has
contributed more than 100 articles to various journals around the world.
About Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
Anavex Life Sciences
Corp. (www.anavex.com) is an emerging biopharmaceutical company engaged in the
discovery and development of novel drug targets for the treatment of cancer and
neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy and depression. The
company's proprietary SIGMACEPTOR Discovery Platform involves the rational
design of drug compounds that fulfill specific criteria based on unmet market
needs and new scientific advances. Selected drug candidates demonstrate high,
non-exclusive affinity for sigma receptors, which are involved in the modulation
of multiple cellular biochemical signaling pathways.
ANAVEX's SIGMACEPTOR -N program involves the development of
novel and original drug candidates that target neurological and
neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, depression, pain).
The company's lead drug candidates exhibit high, non-exclusive affinity for
sigma receptors with strong evidence for anti-amnesic and neuroprotective
properties. The company believes that oxidative stress, not amyloid-beta, is the
cause of Alzheimer's. ANAVEX 1-41 and ANAVEX 2-73 modulate sigma receptors, a
unique class of receptor molecules, to guard against oxidative stress and repair
cells compromised by its effects. So far, through the advanced pre-clinical
phase of development, the compounds have performed extremely well in
well-recognized animal models of Alzheimer's disease, underscoring the promise
of the company s new alternative approach to the disease.
ANAVEX s SIGMACEPTOR -C program involves the development of
novel and original drug candidates targeting cancer. The company's lead drug
candidates exhibit high, non-exclusive affinity for sigma receptors with strong
evidence for selective pro-apoptotic, anti-metastatic and low toxicity
properties in various types of solid cancers. ANAVEX 7-1037 has already
demonstrated its ability to significantly delay the growth of cancerous tumors
in patient-derived xenografts during advanced pre-clinical studies.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press
release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking
statements. These statements are only predictions based on current information
and expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events
or results may differ materially from those projected in any of such statements
due to various factors, including the risks and uncertainties inherent in drug
discovery and development, which include, without limitation, the potential
failure of development candidates to advance through preclinical studies or
demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical testing and the ability to file an
IND or commence clinical studies. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance
on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.
This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are qualified in
their entirety by this cautionary statement and Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect
events or circumstances after the date hereof.
For Further Information
Anavex Life Sciences Corp.
Research & Business Development
Email: info@anavex.com
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