ArmaGen Appoints Mathias Schmidt, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer

CALABASAS, Calif., Jan. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ArmaGen, Inc., today announced that it has appointed Mathias Schmidt, Ph.D., as chief executive officer, as well as a member of ArmaGen's board of directors. Dr. Schmidt brings to ArmaGen more than 17 years of executive management experience focused on the research and development of biotherapeutics and pharmaceuticals.

"Mathias is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with the diverse experience and skillset necessary to lead ArmaGen to its next phase of growth," said Stuart Swiedler, M.D., Ph.D., ArmaGen's Chairman of the board of directors. "As a company, we have made significant progress in advancing our pipeline of clinical assets, and the Board looks forward to Mathias' leadership as we complete the ongoing studies in MPS I and MPS II and drive toward other important corporate milestones." 

"I am honored by the opportunity to lead ArmaGen at this point in the company's evolution," said Dr. Schmidt. "With a strong platform for delivering biologics across the blood-brain barrier and two compounds currently in clinical development, ArmaGen has the potential to transform not only the treatment of rare pediatric diseases such as MPS I and MPS II, but also treatment of major central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis." 

Dr. Schmidt held various positions with Takeda Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries since 2001, including oncology drug discovery, early alliance management and head of biologics. Since joining Takeda California in 2012 as Vice President of Biological Sciences, he built a highly functional biotherapeutics unit serving all therapeutic indications and all research sites within the global Takeda organization. He joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1999 after working for several years at various cancer hospitals in Germany and the U.S.  In 2011, Dr. Schmidt was awarded the venia legendi in pharmacology from the University of Konstanz.  He earned his Master's in Biotechnology from the University of Stuttgart and received his Ph.D. in molecular oncology from the Tumor Biology Center of the University of Freiburg.

About ArmaGen 
ArmaGen, Inc., is a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing revolutionary therapies for severe neurological disorders. The company is developing a robust pipeline of innovative therapies for the treatment of neurological complications of lysosomal storage disorders such as Hunter syndrome (MPS I), Hurler syndrome (MPS II), metachromatic leukodystrophy, Sanfilippo A and B syndrome, as well as central nervous system diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. ArmaGen's pipeline is based on decades of scientific leadership in engineering therapies to cross the blood-brain barrier and a dominant intellectual property portfolio. The company is advancing its pipeline through licensing and collaboration agreements, in-house development programs, and future partnering opportunities. For more information, visit www.armagen.com.

Contacts:

ArmaGen, Inc.  
Derek Kelaita 
Vice President, Business Development 
818-252-8200 
[email protected]

For media inquiries: 
Alex Van Rees  
SmithSolve LLC 
973-442-1555 ext. 111 
[email protected]

SOURCE ArmaGen, Inc.