AveXis Appoints Michael B. Johannesen as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
July 11 2016 - 8:00AM
AveXis, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVXS), a clinical-stage gene therapy company
developing treatments for patients suffering from rare and
life-threatening neurological genetic diseases, today announced the
appointment of Michael B. Johannesen to the executive management
team as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance
Officer.
Mr. Johannesen brings to AveXis nearly 20 years of legal
experience within the global pharmaceutical, medical device and
healthcare products industries, and is responsible for all aspects
of the company’s legal and compliance functions, as well as human
resources. Johannesen will report to Sean P. Nolan, President and
CEO of AveXis.
“As AveXis continues to grow and mature, we were eager to round
out the management team with someone with extensive legal
experience,” said Mr. Nolan. “With his deep knowledge of the
industry and proven success, I am pleased to welcome Michael as
general counsel and chief compliance officer.”
Michael B. Johannesen, Senior Vice President, General
Counsel and Chief Compliance OfficerMr. Johannesen has
served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Hospira,
where he was responsible for the commercial and compliance
functions of Hospira’s legal department. Prior to joining Hospira,
Mr. Johannesen worked as an attorney in the legal departments of
Abbott Laboratories and Whirlpool Corporation. Mr. Johannesen
began his legal career at Winston & Strawn in Chicago.
Mr. Johannesen earned his juris doctorate degree from the
University of Michigan Law School and a bachelor's degree in
political science and public administration from the University of
Illinois.
About SMASMA is a severe neuromuscular disease
characterized by the loss of motor neurons leading to progressive
muscle weakness and paralysis. SMA is caused by a genetic defect in
the SMN1 gene that codes SMN, a protein necessary for survival of
motor neurons. The incidence of SMA is approximately one in 10,000
live births.
The most severe form of SMA is Type 1, a lethal genetic disorder
characterized by motor neuron loss and associated muscle
deterioration, which results in mortality or the need for permanent
ventilation support before the age of two for greater than 90
percent of patients. SMA Type 1 is the leading genetic cause of
infant mortality.
About AVXS-101AVXS-101 is a proprietary gene
therapy candidate of a one-time treatment for SMA Type 1 and is the
only clinical-stage gene therapy in development for SMA. AVXS-101
is designed to address the monogenetic root cause of SMA and
prevent further muscle degeneration by addressing the defective
and/or loss of the primary SMN gene. AVXS-101 also targets motor
neurons providing rapid onset of effect, and crosses the blood
brain barrier allowing an IV dosing route and effective targeting
of both central and systemic features.
About AveXis, Inc.AveXis is a clinical-stage
gene therapy company developing treatments for patients suffering
from rare and life-threatening neurological genetic diseases. The
company’s initial proprietary gene therapy candidate, AVXS-101, is
in an ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of SMA Type
1. For additional information, please visit
www.avexis.com.
Media Inquiries:
Lauren Barbiero
W2O Group
646-564-2156
lbarbiero@w2ogroup.com
Investor Inquiries:
Jim Goff
AveXis, Inc.
650-862-4134
jgoff@avexis.com
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