PRESS RELEASE
Alex Bastian joins Memo Therapeutics AG as VP Commercial Strategy
- Seasoned commercial leader with significant international experience
- Joins ahead of lead development candidate Potravitug entering Phase III trial
Schlieren / Zurich, Switzerland, 27 August, 2024 – Memo Therapeutics AG (or “MTx”), a late-stage biotech company translating unique human immune responses into superior medicines to treat viral infections and cancer, today announces that Alex Bastian has joined the Company as VP Commercial Strategy.
Alex Bastian is an experienced commercial leader in the biotech sector. Most recently he was VP Commercial & Patient Access at AM-Pharma, where he led market access for an innovative in-hospital therapy for acute kidney injury.
Prior to joining AM-Pharma, Alex was VP, Head of Value & Market Access at Galapagos where he led the creation of a global function for market access, health economics, and policy, built the team and launched a product in a competitive and dynamic therapy area. He previously held various senior roles in big pharma including at Incyte Consulting in both Europe and the US.
Erik van den Berg, CEO of MTx, commented: “Alex joins us at an exciting time as we progress towards initiating a Phase III trial in kidney transplant patients with BK virus infection ahead of commercial launch. We are delighted to bolster our in-house expertise with such a high calibre individual and on behalf of the senior leadership team I warmly welcome Alex to the company.”
Alex Bastian, VP Commercial Strategy at MTx, added: “With a best and first-in-class antibody for BK viremia, MTx offers new hope for patients with no effective treatment options. I am excited to join a company with such a promising asset alongside a powerful technology platform and I look forward to working with the team.”
Alex is completing a Doctor of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, US. He has an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain and a BA from the University of Minnesota, US.
In May, MTx announced that it had raised an additional CHF 20 million, bringing in new investors Ysios Capital and Kurma Partners and increasing its Series C financing to CHF 45 million. In July, the Company announced the appointment of Paul Carter as Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Paul has as had an extensive executive career in the international biopharma space, including over 10 years of commercial experience working in the virology field at Gilead Sciences.
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| Contacts | |
| Memo Therapeutics AG | |
| info@memo-therapeutics.com | |
| ICR Consilium | Amber Fennell, Ashley Tapp |
| memotx@consilium-comms.com | +44 (0)20 3709 5700 |
About Memo Therapeutics AG
Memo Therapeutics AG (“MTx”) is a late-stage biotech company translating unique human immune responses into superior medicines through the development of best-in-class antibodies to treat viral infections and cancer. The Company’s lead program, Potravitug, is in Phase II development targeting BK viremia in kidney transplant recipients, an infection which can result in decreased kidney functionality and longevity and reduced patient survival. Potravitug has the potential to become the best and first-in-class BKV disease-modifying therapy for kidney transplant patients with a market potential of more than $1bn.
Alongside Potravitug, MTx is focused on discovering novel oncology targets, both alone and in partnership. The Company has had a partnership in place with Ono Pharmaceutical since late 2022. Underpinning MTx’s core assets is its proprietary DROPZYLLA® technology, an antibody repertoire copying engine with high- throughput screening capabilities. MTx is a private company located in Schlieren / Zurich and backed by investors including Ysios Capital, Kurma Partners, Pureos Bioventures, Swisscanto, Vesalius Biocapital and Adjuvant Capital. Learn more at www.memo-therapeutics.com, and on LinkedIn.
