WOBURN, Mass., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- BioVex Inc, a biotechnology company developing clinical stage treatments for cancer and the prevention of infectious disease, announced today that it has appointed Jan van Heek, age 58, as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Mr. van Heek is employed as a Senior Advisor to the CEO and the senior management team of Genzyme Corporation; he joined Genzyme in 1991 and has been responsible for building the Company’s worldwide therapeutics, surgical and genetic testing businesses. He established Genzyme’s European offices in the early 1990’s before moving to the U.S. to head the Company’s therapeutics division. Mr. van Heek has played a key role in building Genzyme’s broad portfolio of businesses and manufacturing infrastructure worldwide. Prior to Genzyme, Mr. van Heek held various management positions at Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Europe and the U.S. At Baxter, his last position was as vice president/general manager of the global Fenwal Division of Baxter Healthcare Corporation based in Deerfield, Illinois. Mr. van Heek is a board member of Viacell Corporation, Zelos Corporation and PanGenetics BV. He received an M.B.A. from St. Gallen University, Switzerland and an executive degree from Stanford Business School, California.
Philip Astley-Sparke, President & CEO of BioVex Inc, said:
“Jan’s appointment brings to the Board nearly two decades of experience in managing the commercial and manufacturing operations of one the world’s preeminent biotechnology companies.”
Jan van Heek, Chairman of BioVex Inc, said:
“I am excited to be joining BioVex at a transformational time in its development as it scales up its manufacturing operations to produce launch grade material. I look forward to working with the management team, the Board and the Company’s investors in implementing the Company’s substantial growth plans over the next year and beyond.”
About BioVex
BioVex is a privately held biotechnology Company based in Woburn. MA. The Company is developing a new class of potent biologics for the treatment of cancer and prevention of infectious disease.
BioVex’s lead cancer program, OncoVEX GM-CSF, is an oncolytic virus that selectively destroys tumor cells accompanied by the induction of a systemic immune response. OncoVEX GM-CSF is currently completing a Phase II clinical trial for melanoma and Phase I/II clinical trials for head & neck cancer and pancreatic cancer. Preliminary data from these studies has been very encouraging demonstrating OncoVEX GM-CSF has the potential to treat both local and metastatic disease. The Company is currently preparing for an initial registration study in melanoma where multiple responses have been demonstrated in an ongoing Phase II trial testing OncoVEX GM-CSF as stand alone therapy in patients with un-resectable stage IIIc and stage IV metastatic disease.
The Company’s second program is a vaccine for genital herpes, ImmunoVEX HSV2, which provides complete protection in animal models of the disease. A Phase I study with ImmunoVEX HSV2 is scheduled to initiate later this year.
For more information visit the company’s website at www.biovex.com.
CONTACT: Philip Astley-Sparke, BioVex Inc, President & CEO,
+1-781-376-4913, pastleysparke@biovex.com; or Jonathan Birt, FD Life
Sciences, +1-212-850-5634, jonathan.birt@fd.com
Web site: http://www.biovex.com/
