Creabilis Appoints Dr Simon Russell as Chief Business Officer

LUXEMBOURG, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Creabilis SA, a European biotechnology company specialising in the development of treatments for dermatology, inflammation and pain, announces today that Dr Simon Russell has been appointed as Chief Business Officer.

Dr Russell joins Creabilis from Novartis Pharma AG where he held a number global strategic marketing roles and most recently Head of Global Marketing for ILARIS (canakinumab). He was previously Head of Strategic Marketing, Biologics where he was responsible for the introduction of a range of novel methods and commercial strategies across the Novartis biologics portfolio.

Dr Russell joined Novartis from AstraZeneca where, as Global Brand Strategy Director, Biologics he led the team responsible for strategic commercial input to the biologics portfolio in partnership with Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) and MedImmune and played a key role in the CAT acquisition. He began his pharmaceutical industry career as a medicinal chemist at ICI Pharmaceuticals and progressed through a number of product, clinical development, marketing and business development roles with Zeneca and AstraZeneca.

Dr Russell has a PhD in organic chemistry from Southampton University and an MA (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Oxford. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Dr Simon Russell, commenting on his appointment, said: "With its lead candidate, CT327, advancing through the clinic in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and its broader pipeline showing a great deal of promise, I'm thrilled to be joining Creabilis at this time. I look forward to working with the Company to maximise the commercial potential of its products and technology."

Dr Eliot Forster CEO of Creabilis, said: "Simon is the latest in a series of high calibre additions to our senior team at Creabilis. Working with our research and development colleagues, his commercial insights will allow us to differentiate our lead molecules from competitors, all in anticipation of upcoming important project data. I'm delighted to welcome Simon to Creabilis."

About Creabilis SA

Creabilis is a clinical-stage European biotechnology company creating innovative new drugs to tackle unmet medical needs in dermatology and inflammatory diseases. Bringing together world class drug development capabilities and a rich scientific heritage, Creabilis is uniquely positioned to transform the treatment of its target diseases.

Creabilis' lead product is CT327, a novel topically applied TrkA kinase inhibitor developed using the Company's Low Systemic Exposure (LSE) technology. CT327 is currently in Phase II clinical trials in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis and is undergoing proof-of-concept studies in pain. CT340 is a potent TrkA kinase inhibitor under development for the treatment of conditions in which TrkA kinase inhibition is indicated, including inflammatory arthritis and pain. The Creabilis portfolio also includes CT637, an HMGB1 antagonist and a novel approach to the treatment of significant inflammatory conditions. Earlier-stage projects include a number of highly promising candidates for dermatological and wider indications.

Creabilis is backed by some of Europe's most highly respected life sciences investors including Sofinnova Partners, Neomed and Abbott Biotech Ventures, Inc.

For more information, please visit: http://www.creabilis-sa.com

For further information please contact:

Creabilis
Eliot Forster
[email protected]
Creabilis SA
5 rue Jean Monnet
L-2810 Luxembourg

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Gardner or Nina Enegren
Tel: +44(0)20-7282-1050
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Creabilis SA