Bionure, a biotech company specialized in neuroprotection, today announces that it has appointed Dr. Lucia Septien as chief medical officer.
Barcelona, Spain, May 15, 2019 - Bionure, a biotech company specialized in neuroprotection, today announces that it has appointed Dr. Lucia Septien as chief medical officer.
Dr. Septien joins Bionure at a crucial time, as the company is preparing for a phase 2 clinical study with its lead compound, BN201. Her wealth of experience in drug development and regulatory challenges will help the company finalize and deploy its clinical development plan and regulatory strategy and execute the upcoming phase 2 program.
Prior to joining Bionure, Dr. Septien worked as a clinical doctor in neurology and psychiatry then held senior medical and regulatory roles with a focus on neuroscience at major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Wyeth, GSK, Servier and Ipsen. She later moved to the biotech sector as chief medical officer at DBV Technologies.
“We warmly welcome Lucia to Bionure. With her sensitivity for patients, her solid experience in CNS drug development and her leadership skills, she will strengthen our team,” said Laurent Nguyen, CEO of Bionure. “We are convinced of her ability to successfully implement our neuroprotection projects.”
“In my practice as a medical doctor and drug developer, I encountered many patients made desperate by the progression of their neurodegenerative disease,” said Lucia Septien. “I am thrilled to join an enthusiastic team dedicated to changing the course of the current path towards disability.”
Bionure recently completed its successful phase 1 study investigating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of BN201, a first-in-class compound that demonstrated neuroprotective activity and stimulation for remyelination. The company’s prime focus areas are Acute Optic Neuritis (AON) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), for which there are still high unmet medical needs.
About Bionure Bionure, a biotechnology company, is a spin-off from IDIBAPS – the Hospital Clinic of the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Council CSIC (Spain), developing the neuroprotectant BN201. BN201 is a small molecule that has successfully completed a clinical phase 1 study on the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics in single and multiple doses in healthy volunteers, under the approval of the MHRA, UK. It was backed by a Series A financing led by Alta Life Sciences. The company plans to start a phase 2 trial in early 2020. The neuroprotective activity and the ability of BN201 to induce remyelination of the neuron, as shown in preclinical studies, provide the basis for future research and clinical experiments for the treatment of several diseases in neurology with high unmet needs, including acute optic neuritis (AON, a rare ophthalmological disease) and multiple sclerosis (MS). www.bionure.com
