DBV Technologies Expands and Strengthens Leadership Team
January 03 2019 - 1:30AM
Montrouge, France, January 3, 2019 |
DBV Technologies
Expands and Strengthens Leadership Team
Key medical,
manufacturing and regulatory leadership changes announced ahead of
anticipated Viaskin Peanut BLA resubmission
Dr. Hugh Sampson to
assume role of interim Chief Medical Officer
Company engages manufacturing and operations industry
leader Julie O'Neill
DBV Technologies (Euronext: DBV -
ISIN: FR0010417345 - Nasdaq Stock Market: DBVT), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company, today announced the following changes to
its leadership team as the Company strengthens its organizational
competencies in the development of the Viaskin platform:
-
DBV's Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), Dr. Hugh
Sampson, will also assume the role of interim Chief Medical Officer
(CMO) effective today. Dr. Sampson succeeds Dr. Lucia
Septien-Velez, who has decided to leave to pursue other
opportunities. As CSO and interim CMO, Dr. Sampson will lead both
the scientific and medical teams at the Company and will report to
Daniel Tassé, Chief Executive Officer of DBV Technologies. Dr.
Sampson is an accomplished leader and physician, and his research
and scientific advancements have had a significant influence in the
field of food allergies and immunology over the last 40
years.
-
Following recent interactions with the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), global manufacturing industry
leader, Julie O'Neill, has been engaged effective immediately to
direct all product development, manufacturing, supply chain,
quality assurance, and end-to-end process optimization at the
Company. She brings over 30 years of experience in global
manufacturing to DBV, where she will directly advise Daniel Tassé.
Julie, who was appointed to DBV's Board of Directors in 2017, will
continue serving as a director, while overseeing the anticipated
resubmission of the Viaskin Peanut Biologics License Application
(BLA) in children four to 11 years of age. Most recently, Julie was
Executive Vice President, Global Operations for Alexion
Pharmaceuticals Inc.
-
As part of these operational changes announced
today, Alan Kerr, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Regulatory
Affairs of DBV Technologies, will now report to the Company's CEO,
Daniel Tassé, effective immediately.
Daniel Tassé,
CEO, stated: "These operational changes mark an
important transition for DBV as we continue to evolve from
late-stage research and development into a potentially
commercial-stage company. We believe Hugh and
Julie bring a critical set of skills that will strengthen our
ability to deliver innovative Viaskin product
candidates to patients and families worldwide. They will work
closely with our regulatory team to potentially bring Viaskin
Peanut to children suffering from peanut allergy as quickly as
possible." Daniel
added, "Hugh is one of the leading voices in the
field of food allergies and immunology, and we are thrilled to have
him at the helm of our scientific and medical strategy for the
Viaskin platform. And we are thrilled to
welcome Julie, who is an accomplished leader with a proven record
of success in manufacturing excellence for over three decades,
overseeing several FDA biological approvals. Hugh and Julie's
expertise, coupled with their unwavering commitment to serving
patients, make them right leaders to drive our anticipated upcoming
resubmission of the BLA for Viaskin Peanut."
Dr. Hugh
Sampson
Effective today, Dr. Sampson will lead both scientific and medical
efforts at the Company. In collaboration with the Company's
regulatory experts, Dr. Sampson will also support regulatory
submissions for Viaskin Peanut, while continuing to drive
scientific innovation of the Company's proprietary technology
platform, Viaskin. DBV has launched a search for a permanent CMO
based in the United States.
"We are very thankful for Lucia's commitment over the years,
and I am excited to lead DBV through this exciting phase as we
prepare to resubmit our BLA for Viaskin Peanut," said Dr. Hugh Sampson. "From the moment I
joined DBV as CSO, I have been excited about our platform's
potential to offer novel product candidates that could have a
meaningful impact across the lives of millions of patients. I am
looking forward to working with a team of
passionate scientific and medical experts worldwide, who are deeply
committed to helping patients with unmet medical needs."
Dr. Sampson was appointed CSO of DBV
Technologies in June 2015 and is a member of the Company's
Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Board. He is also the
Kurt Hirschhorn Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director Emeritus of the Jaffe Food
Allergy Institute. Dr. Sampson continues to direct NIH-funded
translational research activities and is past chair of the Section
on Allergy & Immunology of the American Academy of Pediatrics
and the past-president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
and Immunology (AAAAI). He has published over 300 peer-reviewed
articles in the field of food allergies and immunology. Dr. Sampson
earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at
Buffalo School of Medicine and completed his fellowship in allergy
and immunology at Duke University.
Julie
O'Neill
Julie brings over 30 years of experience to DBV, where she will
direct all global manufacturing operations. From 2014 to 2018,
Julie was Executive Vice President, Global Operations for Alexion
Pharmaceuticals Inc, responsible for global process development and
manufacturing, as well as for the Company's supply chain, quality
and real estate operations. Before joining Alexion, she was Vice
President of Operations and General Manager for Ireland at Gilead
Sciences, Inc. Earlier in her career, Julie held leadership
positions in operations, manufacturing and quality functions within
the pharmaceutical industry.
"The Viaskin
platform is a fascinating technology with a novel approach to
process innovation, and I am excited to be part of the pioneering
team behind its advancement for biopharmaceutical production,"
said Julie O'Neill. "My time
on DBV's Board has reinforced my excitement about Viaskin Peanut as
a potential treatment for peanut-allergic patients, and I am
looking forward to leading the team through the resubmission of our
BLA package to the FDA as quickly as possible."
About DBV
Technologies
DBV Technologies is developing
Viaskin®, a proprietary technology platform with broad potential
applications in immunotherapy. Viaskin is based on epicutaneous
immunotherapy, or EPIT®, DBV's method of delivering biologically
active compounds to the immune system through intact skin. With
this new class of self-administered and non-invasive product
candidates, the Company is dedicated to safely transforming the
care of food allergic patients, for whom there are no approved
treatments. DBV's food allergies programs include ongoing clinical
trials of Viaskin Peanut and Viaskin Milk, and Montrouge, France,
October 22, 2018 preclinical development of Viaskin Egg. DBV is
also pursuing a human proof-of-concept clinical study of Viaskin
Milk for the treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and exploring
potential applications of its platform in vaccines and other immune
diseases. DBV Technologies has global headquarters in Montrouge,
France and New York, NY. The Company's ordinary shares are traded
on segment A of Euronext Paris (Ticker: DBV, ISIN code:
FR0010417345), part of the SBF120 index, and the Company's ADSs
(each representing one-half of one ordinary share) are traded on
the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Ticker: DBVT).
Forward Looking
Statements
This press release may contain
forward-looking statements and estimates, including statements
regarding the potential of the Company's Viaskin platform,
Company's regulatory plans regarding Viaskin Peanut and the
anticipated benefits to be derived from the management changes
announced herein. These forward-looking statements and estimates
are not promises or guarantees and involve substantial risks and
uncertainties. At this stage, the products of the Company have not
been authorized for sale in any country. Among the factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
described or projected herein include uncertainties associated
generally with related regulatory reviews and approvals and
clinical trials, as well as those associated with attracting and
retaining key personnel. A further list and description of these
risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Company's
regulatory filings with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers,
the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and
reports, including in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for
the year ended December 31, 2017 and future filings and reports by
the Company. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and
estimates, which speak only as of the date hereof. Other than as
required by applicable law, DBV Technologies undertakes no
obligation to update or revise the information contained in this
Press Release.
DBV Investor
Relations Contact
Sara Blum Sherman
Senior Director, Investor Relations & Strategy
+1 212-271-0740
sara.sherman@dbv-technologies.com
DBV Media
Contact
Joe Becker
VP, Global Corporate Communications
+1 646-650-3912
joseph.becker@dbv-technologies.com
PDF Version
This
announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West
Corporation clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely
responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: DBV Technologies via Globenewswire
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