“George Horner’s 40 years of pharmaceutical industry experience will be a considerable asset to the further development of our VIASKIN® technology, which offers a whole new paradigm for the treatment of food allergies.”
Pierre-Henri Benhamou, M.D., CEO.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DBV Technologies, an emerging biotechnology company, announced today that its board of directors has elected George F. Horner III as non-executive chairman, effective immediately.
“We are extremely proud to welcome George as non-executive chairman of DBV Technologies,” said Dr. Benhamou. “No doubt, his four decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry—in sales, marketing and business development roles, as well as chief executive and general managerial roles in both the United States and internationally—make him the perfect choice as non-executive chairman in this next phase of DBV’s evolution. There are no known treatments for food allergies, and thus many children and their families live with the constant fear of ingesting a life-threatening food. VIASKIN is designed to trigger the desired immune response while avoiding the risk of a systemic, life-threatening reaction. With George’s expertise and experience, along with our recent and substantial cash infusion, DBV is now well-positioned to move ahead with this life-saving technology, VIASKIN.”
Previously, Mr. Horner served as CEO of Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, where he led the company to FDA approval of tetrabenazine (TBZ), the first drug approved in the United States to treat Huntington's disease patients. He oversaw the company's subsequent sale to Biovail and Ovation Pharmaceuticals in 2008. Prior to Prestwick, he was president, CEO and a member of the board of directors at Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, where he helped transform the $12 million privately funded anti-infective company into an enterprise acquired by Pfizer in 2005 for $1.9 billion. Mr. Horner also previously served as vice president of commercial operations for Ligand Pharmaceuticals. Prior to his role at Ligand, he spent 17 years at Abbott Laboratories, where he held numerous executive, general management and business development positions and served as general manager of a number of the company’s overseas regions, including Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa and Southeast Asia. In addition to DBV Technologies, Mr. Horner also is a director of Creabilis Therapeutics, Durata Therapeutics and Omthera Pharmaceuticals.
About DBV Technologies
DBV Technologies is the only company in the world whose products are designed to epicutaneously deliver on intact skin — via an epicutaneous patch — allergens for Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT) against food allergies. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only strategy that treats the underlying cause of an allergic disorder. DBV’s proprietary epicutaneous patch technology — VIASKIN® — involves maintaining an allergen on the skin of an allergic subject for repeated and prolonged periods in order to obtain clinical desensitization. Earlier this month, DBV Technologies announced that has secured $25.5 million in a Series C financing round.
NOTE: VIASKIN® Peanut is only for investigational use at the moment in the USA and in Europe.
CONTACT:
Ronald Trahan Associates, Inc.
Ronald Trahan, APR, +1 508 359 4005, ext. 108
KEYWORDS: Europe France
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Biotechnology Medical Devices Pharmaceutical Other Health
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