Creabilis Expands Senior Management Team

LUXEMBOURG, August 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Creabilis SA, a clinical stage European biotechnology company addressing unmet medical needs in dermatology, inflammation and pain, announced today the expansion of its senior management team with the appointment of three experienced international pharma executives. Alex Leech joins as Vice President, Head of Finance and Operations, James Sandy as Senior Vice President, Head of Development, and Peter Spargo as Senior Vice President for Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC).

Alex Leech was most recently Head of Operations at Solace Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to Solace, Alex worked for the Pfizer R&D organisation where he was Head of European Project Management and worked as part of a small team leading the restructuring of the company's drug development capabilities. Alex has also held a number of operational and engineering management roles at Ford Motor Company. He holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from University of Sussex and an MBA from Henley Management College, UK.

James Sandy has over 25 years of pharmaceutical development R&D experience, most recently at Pfizer as Development Team Leader of Pfizer's GI portfolio. During his career, James has held a number of senior management positions in the pharmaceutical sector and brought several products to market. James was also Head of Development Operations in Europe and Asia at Pfizer. Prior to working at Pfizer, James was Head of biometrics at Astra UK. He holds a BSc in Statistics from University of Sunderland and MPhil in Statistics & Outcomes Research from Imperial College London.

Dr Peter Spargo has been involved in pharmaceutical research and development throughout an international career spanning over 22 years. He was most recently at Novexel as SVP of CMC and played an important role in the company's $500m acquisition by AstraZeneca in 2010. Previously, Peter was Head of Chemical Process R&D for Pfizer in Europe, where he also led a variety of multi-disciplinary human health development candidate project teams and was responsible for the company's Worldwide Pharmaceutical Sciences Veterinary Medicines portfolio. He holds a PhD from University of Cambridge.

Dr Eliot Forster CEO of Creabilis said: "This expansion of our senior management team to complement our current team, reflects Creabilis' growing maturity and the confidence we have in our pipeline, our science and the culture that underpins it. With CT327 having shown positive results in Phase IIa trials in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, and other drugs advancing towards the clinic, we are well positioned to deliver valuable new medicines for important diseases and value to all our stakeholders. Alex, James and Peter will play vital roles in ensuring we deliver on that promise."

About Creabilis SA

Creabilis is a clinical-stage European biotechnology company creating innovative new drugs to tackle unmet medical needs in dermatology and inflammatory diseases. Bringing together world class drug development capabilities and a rich scientific heritage, Creabilis is uniquely positioned to transform the treatment of its target diseases.

Creabilis' lead product is CT327 a novel topically applied TrkA kinase inhibitor developed using the Company's Low Systemic Exposure (LSE) technology. CT327 is currently in Phase II clinical trials in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and is undergoing proof-of-concept studies in pain. CT340 is a potent TrkA kinase inhibitor under development for the treatment of conditions in which TrkA kinase inhibition is implicated, including inflammatory arthritis and pain. The Creabilis portfolio also includes CT637, a new approach to the treatment of significant inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Earlier-stage projects include a number of highly promising candidates for dermatological and wider indications.

Creabilis is backed by some of Europe's most highly respected life sciences investors including Sofinnova Partners and Neomed.

For more information, please visit:  http://www.creabilis-sa.com

For further information please contact:

Creabilis
Eliot Forster
[email protected]
Creabilis SA
5 rue Jean Monnet L-2810 LUXEMBOURG
                   
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Gardner or Nina Enegren
Tel: +44(0)20-7282-1050
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Creabilis SA