CRESTWOOD, Ky. and WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (Nasdaq:APLS) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutic compounds to treat disease through the inhibition of the complement system, announced today the appointment of Adam Townsend as Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to joining Apellis, Townsend worked at Biogen in Cambridge, MA., with progressive leadership roles in commercial and corporate development.
“We are incredibly pleased to welcome Adam to Apellis’ leadership team. Adam has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in bringing novel therapies to market and has worked with a number of leading organizations in the US, Europe and the UK,” said Cedric Francois, MD, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Apellis. “His experience leading the recent launches of Tecfidera® and Spinraza® while at Biogen, and his proven success in marketing and commercializing innovative therapies, will be invaluable as we prepare to build our commercial franchises in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and geographic atrophy (GA), followed by other complement-mediated conditions in the future.”
In his new role, Townsend will be responsible for overseeing the strategy, development, and execution of all aspects of Apellis’ commercial policies, objectives, and initiatives as the company expands operations with two clinical programs in Phase 3: DERBY & OAKS for the treatment of GA and PEGASUS for the treatment of PNH.
“Apellis’ promising science, dynamic leadership team and impressive growth trajectory were all very enticing qualities as I considered the next step in my career,” said Townsend. “I’m thrilled to join this exciting company and assist in advancing Apellis’ mission to treat patients impacted with complement-mediated diseases.”
Prior to Biogen, Townsend held numerous leadership positions in Europe at EUSA Pharma as General Manager of the UK, Ireland and Nordic Region and as the Head of Commercial. In addition, Townsend worked for Amgen in Switzerland as part of its European Marketing team, driving significant and consistent growth across multiple geographies and also in the UK where he progressed to be the Head of Marketing. Adam received a B.Sc. (Hons) in Medical Biochemistry from the University of London, UK.
About Apellis
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of a broad range of life-threatening or debilitating autoimmune diseases based upon complement immunotherapy through the inhibition of the complement system at the level of C3. Apellis is the first company to advance chronic therapy with a C3 inhibitor into clinical trials. For additional information about Apellis and APL-2, please visit http://www.apellis.com. For additional information regarding our clinical trials, visit www.apellis.com/clinical-trials.html.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the implications of preliminary clinical data. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: whether dosing in the Phase 3 GA program will resume when anticipated; whether preliminary or interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial; whether results obtained in preclinical studies and clinical trials will be indicative of results that will be generated in future clinical trials; whether APL-2 will successfully advance through the clinical trial process on a timely basis, or at all; whether the results of such clinical trials will warrant regulatory submissions and whether APL-2 will receive approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies for GA, PNH or any other indication; whether, if Apellis’ products receive approval, they will be successfully distributed and marketed; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Apellis’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, 2018 and the risks described in other filings that Apellis may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Apellis specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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