AC Immune Named One of "Fierce 15" Leading Biotech Companies of 2012
Lausanne, Switzerland, Sept. 19, 2012 – AC Immune was named by FierceBiotech today as one of 2012's Fierce 15, designating it as one of the most promising private biotechnology companies in the industry. This is FierceBiotech's tenth annual Fierce 15 selection.
"AC Immune has tackled Alzheimer's, one of the toughest disease targets in biotech," says FierceBiotech Editor John Carroll. "But its carefully crafted antibodies have attracted the attention of Genentech, a Roche subsidiary with a world-class reputation in R&D which has partnered on two of its programs. And now investigators are setting the stage for a pioneering study that will test AC Immune's crenezumab in a unique at-risk population. Groundbreaking science makes AC Immune one of the world's top biotech companies. We'll be following its progress closely."
Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune commented: "We are extremely pleased and honored to be among this year's Fierce 15. This recognition is shared by all those who have worked with such skill and dedication over the past nine years: our employees, our investors, our partners and the broad Alzheimer's disease community. We are proud to have built one of the broadest and most advanced Alzheimer's pipelines in the industry, and we will continue our passionate search for effective therapies and diagnostics for this devastating neurodegenerative disease, one of the biggest healthcare problems of this century."
The Fierce 15 celebrates the spirit of being "fierce" – championing innovation and creativity, even in the face of intense competition.
An internationally recognized daily newsletter reaching more than 100,000 biotech and pharma industry professionals, FierceBiotech provides subscribers with a quick, authoritative briefing on the day's top stories. Every year FierceBiotech evaluates hundreds of private companies for its annual list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of its technology, partnerships, venture backers and a competitive market position.
The 2012 Fierce 15 companies will be recognized today at the BioPharm America conference in Boston. A complete list of "Fierce 15" companies is available online at www.fiercebiotech.com.
About AC Immune SA
AC Immune SA is a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company and a leader in Alzheimer´s disease drug development. AC Immune develops innovative therapeutics with "best in class" potential against Alzheimer´s disease and other conformational diseases along three axes: vaccines, antibodies and small molecules. The anti-Abeta antibody (crenezumab) for passive immunization is partnered with Genentech and is in Phase II development and has been selected for the first groundbreaking Alzheimer's prevention trial. The company continues to develop in house the small molecule ACI-91 and the vaccine ACI-24 in Phase II and Phase I/IIa clinical development respectively. These three clinical programs are focused on Alzheimer's disease, and are backed by a rich portfolio of preclinical compounds. A preclinical stage anti-Tau antibody is partnered with Genentech. The therapeutic molecules are also leveraged for Alzheimer´s disease diagnostic and other central nervous system and non-CNS diseases, such as Glaucoma. Since its foundation in 2003, AC Immune has raised CHF 64 million from private investors.
About FierceBiotech
FierceBiotech is the biotech industry's daily monitor - a free email newsletter and web resource providing the latest biotech news, articles, and resources related to clinical trials, drug discovery, FDA approval and regulation, biotech company deals and more. More than 100,000 top biotech professionals rely on FierceBiotech for an insider briefing on the day's top stories. Sign up is free at www.fiercebiotech.com.
For further information, please contact:
Prof. Andrea Pfeifer
Chief Executive Officer
Phone: +41-21-693 91 21
E-mail:[email protected]
www.acimmune.com
Eva Schier
Corporate Communications Manager
Phone: +41-21-693 91 34
E-mail: [email protected]
www.acimmune.com
Nick Miles
Senior Consultant
Cabinet Privé de Conseils s.a.
Phone : +41 22 321 45 40
Mobile : +41 79 678 76 26
E-mail : [email protected]
In the US
Ted Agne
The Communications Strategy Group Inc.
Phone: +1 781 631 3117
E-mail: [email protected]