BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OMEICOS Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation (AF), today announced the appointment of Dr. Ulrich Dauer as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 13, 2015. Dr. Dauer will join OMEICOS to bring additional leadership expertise as the company builds the infrastructure and capabilities needed to develop its lead therapeutic candidate for AF. Most recently, Dr. Dauer served as Chief Strategy Officer for Activaereo GmbH, a specialty respiratory therapy company acquired by Vectura Group plc.
"With our recently announced Series A financing in place and his addition to the management, OMEICOS has achieved important steps toward our goal of developing truly novel drugs to prevent and treat severe cardiovascular diseases."
"Ulrich's broad experience in the biotech industry and proven track record of successfully securing financing and executing international collaborations will be extremely valuable as we enter the next phase of corporate growth," said Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of OMEICOS Therapeutics. "With our recently announced Series A financing in place and his addition to the management, OMEICOS has achieved important steps toward our goal of developing truly novel drugs to prevent and treat severe cardiovascular diseases."
"I am joining a talented team and a very exciting company," commented Dr. Dauer. "I look forward to working with them and the Supervisory Board to realize OMEICOS' potential to discover, develop, and deliver new and improved therapeutic options for cardiac patients." Dr. Dauer added that he and Dr. Fischer together will represent the executive management board of OMEICOS moving forward.
Dr. Dauer has twenty years of professional experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining OMEICOS, in his role as Chief Strategy Officer at Activaereo GmbH, he was responsible for strategy, growth and financing, and he led the successful negotiations and sale of the company to Vectura Group plc for EUR 130 million in 2014. Prior to Activaereo, Dr. Dauer held the position of Chief Executive Officer at 4SC AG, a German biotech company developing small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, where he oversaw multiple licensing and development transactions in addition to raising EUR 150 million in private and public capital, including the company's IPO within the Prime Standard segment of Deutsche Börse.
About Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in humans. AF is characterized by an irregular heart rhythm originating from the heart's upper chambers, resulting in inefficient blood pumping. AF leads to a significant reduction in quality of life, increases the risk of stroke, raises the risk of heart failure, and doubles the risk of death.
About OMEICOS
OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The company is developing oral, first-in-class, small molecules for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, initially focusing on AF. The company's novel, small molecule AF therapy is based on proprietary synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid metabolites. The technology was originally discovered and developed by a research team under the supervision of Dr. Wolf Schunck and Dr. Dominik Mueller at MDC and Dr. John R. Falck at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and transferred into OMEICOS by the co-founders Dr. Karen Uhlmann and Dr. Robert Fischer. OMEICOS' lead candidate is envisioned for oral, once-daily treatment for patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF, with and without structural heart disease, for maintenance of sinus rhythm. www.omeicos.com
Contacts
OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Ulrich Dauer, +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
[email protected]
or
Dr. Robert Fischer, +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director
[email protected]
www.omeicos.com
or
Media requests:
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Gretchen Schweitzer, +49 (0) 89 2424 3494
or
Blair Atkinson, +49 (0) 151 2348 2513
[email protected]