-
- Richard Couch, formerly at Celgene, appointed as Chief Technology Officer
- Owen Vaughan, formerly at Taiho Oncology, appointed as Chief Regulatory Officer
- Appointments add decades of industry experience to support advancement of IMM-101 into a pivotal trial in pancreatic cancer
Uxbridge, UK – 26 June 2023 – Immodulon, a late-stage clinical company developing a highly differentiated cancer immunotherapy that primes the patient’s own innate immune system, today announces it has appointed Richard Couch as Chief Technology Officer and Owen Vaughan as Chief Regulatory Officer. These key appointments will support the advancement of IMM-101 into a pivotal pancreatic cancer trial and follow the recent recruitment of Josefine Roemmler-Zehrer, MD, as Chief Medical Officer.
“I am pleased to welcome Richard and Owen who together bring decades of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) and regulatory expertise to Immodulon that will be invaluable as we plan for and advance IMM-101, our novel broad-spectrum immunotherapy candidate into a pivotal trial for pancreatic cancer,” said Gertjan Bartlema, Chief Executive Officer of Immodulon. “These appointments reflect our confidence in the potential of IMM-101 and our commitment to transforming the lives of people living with pancreatic cancer, who currently have limited effective treatment options.”
Richard Couch added “IMM-101, as a broad spectrum immunotherapy, has the potential to become a significant new treatment option for pancreatic cancer patients. I am looking forward to using my skills and experience in CMC to support the successful development of this promising new asset.”
Owen Vaughan said “I am thrilled to be joining Immodulon at this exciting time. I look forward to contributing to advancing this novel therapy through the next stage of development and working with the outstanding leadership team to execute on the company’s mission to deliver IMM-101 to pancreatic cancer patients suffering from this fatal disease.”
Richard Couch
Richard brings over 30 years’ pharmaceutical experience across regulatory, drug development and commercialisation to Immodulon. He spent 15 years at Celgene, most recently as Vice President, Global Regulatory CMC before founding R3LS, a CMC consultancy. At Celgene, Richard built and led the Global Regulatory CMC group responsible for developing and implementing CMC strategies for small molecules, biologics and cell therapies. During his time, he oversaw the development of 20 clinical compounds from Phase 1 clinical development through to commercialisation.
Richard started his career at Merck & Co., Inc in Analytical & Quality Services before transitioning to a regulatory CMC position. He holds an MSc in Chemistry from Lehigh University and a BSc in Chemistry from Ohio University.
Owen Vaughan, PhD
Owen is a highly experienced regulatory affairs leader with over 30 years’ global experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Owen has led regulatory teams across all phases of clinical development and has a proven track record in obtaining and expanding marketing authorisations for multiple new therapeutics. He joins Immodulon from 4D Pharma where he served as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance. Owen has also held senior regulatory roles at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Taiho Oncology, Celgene and Johnson and Johnson.
Owen began his career as a Research Scientist. He holds a PhD and BSc in Chemistry from Imperial College London and holds a diploma in regulatory affairs from the University of Wales, Cardiff.
– Ends –
Notes to Editors
About Immodulon Therapeutics Ltd
Immodulon is a late-stage clinical company developing a highly differentiated cancer immunotherapy approach that primes the patient’s own innate immune system with the aim to significantly enhance the efficacy of a broad range of anti-cancer therapies, including chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors.
Immodulon is developing IMM-101, a heat-killed formulation of the mycobacterium M. obuense, as a broad-spectrum immunomodulatory agent that has promising potential in a range of difficult-to-treat tumours including those considered to be immunologically “cold,” such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Immodulon has generated promising, positive Phase 2 data with IMM-101 in pancreatic cancer in combination with gemcitabine. These data show that IMM-101 is safe and effective, prolonging progression-free survival for a sub-group of patients with metastatic disease compared to gemcitabine alone. IMM-101 is due to enter a pivotal pancreatic cancer study.
Contacts:
Immodulon
Gertjan Bartlema, CEO
G.Bartlema@immodulon.com
Peter Greaney, CBO
P.Greaney@immodulon.com
MEDiSTRAVA Consulting
Frazer Hall, Sandi Greenwood, Eleanor Perkin
Immodulon@medistrava.com
+44 (0)203 928 6900