Aravax strengthens board with appointments of Carsten Hellmann and Andrew Oxtoby

Aravax, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation, disease-modifying immunotherapies for food allergy, today announces two additions to its Board of Directors, former CEO of ALK-Abello A/S, Carsten Hellmann and former Chief Commercial Officer of Aimmune Therapeutics, Andrew Oxtoby. Collectively, Carsten and Andrew bring to Aravax exceptionally deep experience from the pharmaceutical industry and, specifically, the allergy therapeutics field.

Andrew has deep pharmaceutical industry expertise spanning development, product launch, fundraising and exits from working with large and small companies in the U.S. and Europe. As Chief Commercial Officer he built the global commercial organisation for the approval and launch in the US and Europe of Palforzia, the first approved treatment for peanut allergy. Post Aimmune’s acquisition by Nestle Health Science (NHSc), Andrew became Aimmune’s President and CEO and established Aimmune as the pharmaceutical arm of NHSc, gaining valuable insights into both the opportunities and challenges in this field. He is currently President & CEO of Kalaris Therapeutics, a company focused on the development of innovative therapies for prevalent retinal diseases.

Carsten has a wealth of experience in pharmaceuticals and life sciences. For nearly a decade he was President & CEO of ALK-Abello A/S, (ALKB:DC / Nasdaq Copenhagen: ALK B), a world leader in allergy diagnosis and specific allergen immunotherapy with approximately 3,000 employees worldwide and a current market cap of over US$6B. Carsten currently serves as Chairperson of the Board of Chanelle Pharma and a Board Member of Coloplast and the Danish Chamber of Commerce. His earlier career in pharmaceuticals included being a member of the Executive Committee of Sanofi and CEO of Merial, Sanofi’s animal health company.

Dr Pascal Hickey, CEO of Aravax, said:

I am excited to announce Andrew and Carsten joining our Board to support our next phase of growth. They bring proven track records in both the U.S. and Europe with the development and commercialisation of allergy medications. These appointments represent big steps towards preparing Aravax for Phase 3 and beyond as we look forward to the results of Phase 2 trials in our lead program, PVX108 for the treatment of peanut allergy.

Carsten Hellmann said:

The development and commercialisation of new treatments for food allergy is challenging. To be successful, new products must not only demonstrate efficacy but truly meet the needs of patients and their families, physicians and healthcare systems. As a next generation immunotherapy designed to be safer, more convenient and disease-modifying, PVX108 is extraordinarily well positioned to meet that challenge.

Andrew Oxtoby said:

Despite advances in the pharmaceutical treatment of food allergy, it remains a rapidly growing problem worldwide with major health, social and economic impacts. I believe Aravax’s innovative approach, which involves retraining the immune system to see food as safe, has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to addressing this significant health need. I look forward to bringing to the team my experience from the development and launch of the first approved product for peanut allergy and to the further progress of PVX108 as a potential new treatment option for the millions affected by peanut allergy worldwide.