Lund, January 4, 2022 - Active Biotech (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: ACTI) announced today that Dr. Erik Vahtola, MD, PhD, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective January 1, 2022. He will join the executive management team and be responsible for the development of the company´s clinical project portfolio within solid and hematological cancers, and inflammatory eye disorders.
Dr. Vahtola has more than 10 years of experience altogether from regulatory authority and pharma industry positions within clinical development and medical affairs. Before joining Active Biotech, he has worked at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Orion Corporation and Roche Pharma, Finland. As a Medical Doctor (MD) he has experience from working as a specializing physician in oncology at the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland and he holds a PhD in pharmacology and an MSc in cell biology from Åbo Akademi University, Finland.
“We are happy to welcome Erik to Active Biotech. This appointment marks an important step in the continued development of the company's project portfolio with three projects now in clinical development. Erik’s medical expertise and experience will further strengthen the team as our project portfolio progresses into later clinical phases”, said Dr. Helén Tuvesson, CEO of Active Biotech.
“I am excited to join Active Biotech at this important stage, where the company has advanced the clinical development of its exciting leading candidate drugs in both oncology and inflammatory eye diseases”, said Erik Vahtola.
Dr. Helena Eriksson, CSO and responsible for Research and Development since 2017, has decided to leave her position after 23 years in the company, but she will continue as a consultant to Active Biotech with a focus on scientific and patent-related issues.
“Helena, with her deep biological understanding, has been instrumental in the implementation of the company's new focus on projects in specialist indications with high medical need and a commercial opportunity. I would like to thank Helena for her commitment and engagement in the development of our projects, and I am very happy that we will continue to work together”, said Helen Tuvesson.
For further information, please contact:
Helén Tuvesson, CEO, +46 46 19 21 56, helen.tuvesson@activebiotech.com
Hans Kolam, CFO, +46 46 19 20 44, hans.kolam@activebiotech.com
About Active Biotech
Active Biotech AB (publ) (NASDAQ Stockholm: ACTI) is a biotechnology company that deploys its extensive knowledge base and portfolio of compounds to develop first-in-class immunomodulatory treatments for specialist oncology and immunology indications with a high unmet medical need and significant commercial potential. Following a portfolio refocus, the business model of Active Biotech aims to advance projects to the clinical development phase and then further develop the programs internally or pursue in partnership. Active Biotech currently holds three projects in its portfolio: Naptumomab, a targeted anti-cancer immunotherapy, partnered to NeoTX Therapeutics, is in a phase Ib/II clinical program in patients with advanced solid tumors. The small molecule immunomodulators, tasquinimod and laquinimod, both having a mode of actions that includes modulation of myeloid immune cell function, are targeted towards hematological malignancies and inflammatory eye disorders, respectively. Tasquinimod, is in clinical phase Ib/IIa for treatment of multiple myeloma. Laquinimod is in a clinical phase I study with a topical ophthalmic formulation, to be followed by phase II for treatment of non-infectious uveitis. Please visit www.activebiotech.com for more information.
Active Biotech AB
(Corp. Reg. No. 556223-9227)
Scheelevägen 22, SE-223 63 Lund, Sweden
Tel: +46 (0)46 19 20 00
This information is information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 14.00 pm CET on January 4, 2022.
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