AFYX Therapeutics Appoints Dennis Kim, M.D., MBA, as Chief Medical Officer
SAN DIEGO and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AFYX Therapeutics ("AFYX"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative approaches to treat mucosal diseases, today announced the appointment of Dennis D. Kim, M.D., MBA, as chief medical officer. Dr. Kim will lead the clinical development of Rivelin®-Clobetesol for the treatment of oral lichen planus, Rivelin®-Mometasone for the treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus, as well as additional programs emerging from the Rivelin technology platform.
"Dr. Kim brings to AFYX Therapeutics an impressive background in clinical and medical affairs within the medtech and biotech industries," said Nishan de Silva, M.D., CEO of AFYX Therapeutics. "His arrival comes at an opportune time as we prepare for advancing the clinical development our lead program on the heels of our successful Phase 2b study evaluating our Rivelin-CLO patch for the treatment of lichen planus – a hidden disease that affects more than one percent of the population, yet no FDA-approved therapies exist."
Dr. Kim is a biotechnology executive and physician with more than 20 years of clinical, scientific and medical expertise across both large indication areas and orphan diseases. Most recently, Dr. Kim served as the chief medical officer of Emerald Health Sciences (EHS) and later of its subsidiary Emerald Bioscience (EMBI). Previously, Dr. Kim served in a variety of senior executive positions in the biopharmaceutical industry, including chief medical officer at Zafgen, Inc., senior vice president of medical affairs at Orexigen Therapeutics, and vice president, medical affairs and chief medical officer of EnteroMedics, Inc. Dr. Kim completed his fellowship in endocrinology/metabolism at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Kim received an MBA degree with honors from UCSD Rady School of Management with emphasis on biotech structure and strategy, and an M.D. degree from University of Health Sciences, The Chicago Medical School.
"Mucosal diseases have been historically difficult to treat, yet AFYX's targeted Rivelin technology shows promise in overcoming traditional therapeutic delivery barriers," said Dr. Kim. "This is an exciting time to join the AFYX team, and I welcome the opportunity to help accomplish our mission of developing innovative therapies for these mucosal diseases that have no effective treatment options."
About AFYX Therapeutics
AFYX Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative approaches to treat mucosal diseases. AFYX's lead product candidate, Rivelin-CLO patch, met its primary endpoint and multiple secondary endpoints in a Phase 2b clinical study for the treatment of oral lichen planus, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects over 1 percent of the population in the U.S. and Europe. The Rivelin patch technology is able to adhere to mucosal surfaces, such as the mouth, to provide continuous and targeted therapeutic delivery for diseases where topical and other treatment modalities have proven inadequate. Investors include Sofinnova Ventures, Lundbeckfonden Emerge, Novo Holdings and Welfare Tech Invest. For additional information, please visit www.afyxtx.com.
SOURCE AFYX Therapeutics
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