The Board wishes to thank Dr. Toder for his significant achievements of the past year wherein he was instrumental in attracting the necessary funds, closing the licensing agreement of the Company’s main asset and initiating the Company’s research and development program in Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Morbus Morquio.
The Board wishes to welcome Dr. Bruinsma who has more than 20 years experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Dr. Bruinsma most recently served as Executive Chairman of Curidium Medica plc, an AIM-listed company in London and prior to that as Director, President and CEO of Axonyx Inc. a publically traded company in New York until he successfully merged the company with a private USA-based company in October 2006. He was also President of Axonyx Europe BV between October 2000 and October 2006. In addition, he was European Medical Director for Zambon, Milan; VP for Medical and Regulatory Affairs for ClinTrials Research, UK; Medical Director for Forest Laboratories in New York; General Manager and VP Development for Chrysalis Clinical Services Europe, Switzerland and VP Development for Crucell BV Leiden Netherlands. Dr. Bruinsma received his undergraduate degree from McGill University, Montreal and his medical degree from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. He currently also serves as Director on the Supervisory Board of Agendia BV based in Amsterdam as well as non-executive Director with Curidium Medica plc, London.
About Vivendy’s Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT)
Vivendy’s ERT seeks to replace the lack of or deficient activity of the N-acetylgalactosamine-6- sulfatase (GALNS) enzyme in MPS IVA by administering a recombinant human GALNS enzyme that has been specifically modified – potentially enhancing the efficacy of the therapy in MPS IVA significantly. Compared to the native enzyme, Vivendy believes that the modification has the potential to maximize the delivery of the enzyme to efficiently clear the storage materials in target tissues and organs.
About Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IVA
Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IVA (MPS IVA, also known as Morbus Morquio A) is a rare lysosomal storage disease characterized by a gene mutation that causes a lack or deficient activity of the N-acetylgalactosamine-6- sulfatase (GALNS) enzyme. This in turn causes excessive lysosomal storage of keratin sulfate (KS) and Chondroitin-6-Sulfate (C6S) which leads to multiple systemic skeletal, spine and joint abnormalities as well as malformations of the chest. Additionally, patients may suffer hearing loss, vision impairment, and heart valve disease. Accurate epidemiological data regarding the rate of incidence of MPS IVA is only sporadically available, but estimates vary between 1 in 250,000 live births to 1 in 500,000 live births.
About Vivendy Therapeutics Ltd.
Vivendy Therapeutics Ltd., a pharmaceutical company developing an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IVA (Morbus Morquio) was founded in March 2006, as a spin-off of Inotech Biotechnologies AG. The company's mission is the development of an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Morbus Morquio. In June, 2008, Saint Louis University (SLU), Office of Innovation and Intellectual Property, St. Louis, Missouri, USA and Vivendy Therapeutics Ltd., finalized and signed a License Agreement where SLU granted to Vivendy Therapeutics the exclusive license to use its patents for the research, development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and other use of the licensed products in the field of Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) compositions intended for the treatment of patients having MPS IVA (Morbus Morquio).
Contact address:
Dr. Gosse B. Bruinsma, MD Vivendy Therapeutics Ltd. Peter-Merian Str. 45 CH-4052 Basel Switzerland T: +31 (0) 71 573 0565 E: bruinsma@vivendy.ch www.vivendy.ch
