AiCuris Appoints Cynthia Wat as Chief Medical Officer
July 30 2024 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG announced today the appointment
of Cynthia Wat, MD as Chief Medical Officer, effective July 1,
2024. Dr. Wat is a highly accomplished pharmaceutical physician
with over 25 years of experience in delivering novel treatments to
patients with infectious diseases. Her proven track record of
designing and executing successful clinical development strategies
from early to late-stage development and through market licensure,
will benefit the company as it prepares to advance its Phase 3
product candidate pritelivir towards market authorization.
Pritelivir is AiCuris’ innovative therapeutic candidate inhibiting
HSV replication which is currently being evaluated in a pivotal
Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV
infections in immunocompromised patients. As part of her role, Dr.
Wat will be responsible for the management and global development
of AiCuris' clinical pipeline of innovative therapeutic candidates
aiming to improve the lives of immune compromised patients.
AiCuris also provided an update on further leadership team
changes. Holger Zimmermann, PhD, has stepped down from his position
as Chief Research and Development Officer to pursue other
opportunities. Dr. Zimmermann was part of the spin-out in 2006
which became AiCuris, served as AiCuris CEO from 2015 to April 2023
and was key contributor in the discovery and development of
letermovir which was out-licensed to MSD in 2012 and is currently
marketed as PREVYMIS®.
“As we complete patient enrollment in our pivotal Phase 3 study
with pritelivir in the first half of 2025, Cynthia’s extensive
experience in product filing and negotiating with global health
authorities will be vital to rapidly and successfully position our
lead candidate for commercialization,” said Larry Edwards, CEO
of AiCuris. “I am looking forward to working with Cynthia as we
continue to execute on our mission of providing multiple
therapeutic solutions for immunocompromised patients in a more
efficient and effective manner. On behalf of the AiCuris team, I
also would like to sincerely thank Holger for his invaluable
support since the inception of the company and his contributions
over the years. We wish him all the best for his future
endeavors.”
“Joining AiCuris presents a unique opportunity to rapidly and
effectively deliver innovative therapies to immunocompromised
individuals. The company is one of the few private biotech
companies that successfully developed a commercial-stage drug that
is improving the lives of thousands of seriously ill patients. Its
differentiated pipeline candidates hold the potential to deliver
substantial value and life-saving treatments to vulnerable patient
populations where simple infections can pose serious threats. I am
eager to contribute to these efforts together with the AiCuris team
and to expedite the path toward product approval, ensuring that
critical medical needs are met and that vulnerable patients receive
the care they urgently require,” added Cynthia Wat, MD.
Cynthia Wat joins AiCuris from her most recent position as a
Pharmaceutical Consultant and Director at ID Pharma Consultancy
Ltd. With more than 25 years of extensive global drug development
experience, she has held leadership and managerial roles for
licensed products Fuzeon®, Pegasys®, and Tamiflu® at Roche that
included pivotal registration trials and multiple filing
activities. As a recognized expert in infectious diseases and
hepatitis, Dr. Wat has a proven track record for creating and
successfully implementing novel clinical trial designs and clinical
development strategies for chronic Hepatitis B, COVID-19, and other
respiratory viruses and is experienced in a broad range of
modalities, small molecules, biologics, RNA therapeutics including
antisense oligonucleotides and predictive biomarker research.
Additionally, she is a strong collaborator with health authorities,
and has provided recommendations to NICE and other regulators in
her role at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. Dr. Wat holds a
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from St. Mary's
Hospital Medical School, Imperial College, London, a Diploma in
Pharmaceutical Medicine from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine
(FPM) and is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians
(MRCP).
About AiCuris
AiCuris is meeting the needs of the growing population of
immunocompromised people who require precise therapies to
effectively treat infection. Our flagship product, PREVYMIS®,
marketed by our partner MSD, prevents CMV in a defined group of
transplant recipients. Our pivotal Phase 3 candidate pritelivir
aims to address recurrent and resistant HSV infections in a broad
population of patients with weakened immune systems. For
immunocompromised people, an otherwise manageable infection can
mean life or death. AiCuris, with its expertise and growing
pipeline, is committed to providing therapeutic solutions for them
now and in the future.
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Trophic Communications Dr. Stephanie May and Dr.
Charlotte Spitz Phone: +49 171 1855682 Email:
aicuris@trophic.eu