New CEO Commences at e-Therapeutics
e-Therapeutics plc (AIM: ETX), the drug discovery company, announces that further to the Company's announcement on 9 January 2017, Dr. Raymond Barlow has today assumed his position as Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Barlow, aged 48, was previously Executive Director of Corporate Development at Amgen Inc. based in Switzerland. Dr. Barlow brings to e-Therapeutics broad experience of drug discovery, development and commercialization, acquired through regional and global roles in the biotech and pharmaceutical sector. His previous responsibilities have included scientific, business and corporate roles with AstraZeneca, Crucell NV and Johnson and Johnson.
All information announced by the Company on 9 January 2017 pursuant to Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules for Companies remains true and accurate.
e-Therapeutics is at the forefront of a new wave of science and has created a unique, computational-based drug discovery platform. This platform uses a range of truly cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence.
I am convinced of the value in the platform and our differentiated approach to drug discovery, which should allow us and potential partners to more efficiently discover more effective drug treatments.
My near-term aim is to ensure that our resources are appropriately focused on activities that are of the greatest commercial potential to support our ambition of creating value for our shareholders. As part of this process, I am looking forward to engaging with our key stakeholders as well as subsequently positioning and promoting the Company to an industry which needs the assets and solutions we can provide.
Ray Barlow
CEO
Background Information on Dr Raymond Barlow
Having completed a BSc in Chemistry from Leeds University in 1990, Dr. Barlow moved to the University of Manchester, from where he gained a PhD in Chemistry in 1994. He then spent a year at McGill University, Montreal as a post doctoral Fellow before entering the pharmaceutical industry as a senior scientist with Zeneca in Pharmaceutical R&D's Technology Access and Strategic Alliances team, of which he later became Team Leader in 1998.
Following the merger with Astra, he became a Global Manager in the Discovery and Development function, in-licensing technologies and working on the development of a range of molecules, including those in oncology, cardiovascular, respiratory and inflammatory disease areas.
Upon completion of a year as a Senior Business Analyst he was appointed Director of Corporate Development, reporting into AstraZeneca's London HQ. In this role he was involved in a number of transactions and was part of the team responsible for shaping AstraZeneca's strategy with the Board, including its move into biologics. During this period he graduated from Manchester Business School with an MBA and in 2004 he stepped out of the BD function into a Regional commercial leadership role in Brussels covering 14 countries in CEE and Russia.
After 10 years with AstraZeneca, Ray moved into the biotech sector working in senior business development roles for Microscience Limited and Emergent Solutions Inc (EBS: NASDAQ). During this period Ray out-licensed a portfolio of Meningitis B assets (invented at Imperial College) to Sanofi and was involved with the team that successfully listed EBS on NASDAQ.
Ray then spent 5 years running his own business (BD solutions Limited) focused upon aiding clients on corporate development and commercialisation projects. During this period he was CEO of Asterion Ltd, delivering research deals with Genzyme and Ipsen. In 2010 he joined Crucell NV and was instrumental in the sale of the business to Johnson & Johnson for whom he worked on a wide range of infectious disease and vaccine deals, before joining Amgen in 2012. At Amgen he has also completed numerous deals including immuno-oncology deals with Boehringer Ingelheim and Genenta, international commercial deals with GSK and Mitsubishi Tanabe as well as playing a key part in the acquisition of Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Dezima Pharma BV.