The Danish biotech company Acesion Pharma ApS announces that it has with effect from 1 August 2014 appointed Ingelise Saunders as new Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Ingelise Saunders has more than 35 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Until September 2013 she was CEO of the Swedish life science investment company SLS Invest AB. Prior to that she was CEO in three privately owned Danish Biotech companies, among these Action Pharma A/S, which was sold to Abbott in 2012. Ingelise Saunders is today a Director of the Board of Leo Pharma A/S and Chairman of the Board of MinervaX ApS. Ingelise will bring to Acesion Pharma the necessary business expertise to ensure the transition of Acesion Pharma’s preclinical assets into clinical development and commercialization.
Ingelise Saunders, Chairman of Acesion Pharma, comments:
“I am very excited about the opportunity to be involved in Acesion Pharma at this important time for the company. The medical field of atrial fibrillation (AF) has high potential due to a huge need for more efficacious and safer treatment for the patients, and I believe that Acesion Pharma’s new, innovative approach to AF could change and improve clinical practice.”
Bobby G. Soni, Board member and former Chairman of Acesion Pharma, comments:
“We are pleased that Ingelise Saunders has choosen to join Acesion Pharma as Chairman of the Board. We are looking forward to working with her to transform the company and its new and promising approach to AF treatment into clinical assets and future improved therapies for AF.”
AF is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia and is characterised by an irregular and abnormally high frequency in the upper chambers of the heart, the atria. AF is associated with impaired quality of life, increased rate of hospitalisation, and increased risk of stroke and death. AF is often treated with electrical shock to bring the heart back to its normal rhythm. Existing drug therapies have however only limited effect and/or are associated with risk of serious adverse effects. There exist therefore a high unmet need for developing more efficacious and safe drugs for the medical treatment of AF.
As a further change in the Board of Directors from 1 August 2014, Carsten Schou is replacing Frank Knudsen as representative from the investor SEED Capital.