Prof. Almond’s appointment will strengthen Osivax’s capacities to drive, position and prioritize pipeline development and especially OVX836, a broad-spectrum influenza vaccine
Lyon, France – February 19th, 2018 – Osivax, a biopharmaceutical company currently focused on the development of a breakthrough influenza vaccine, announced today that the Company is strengthening its management team with the appointment of Prof. Jeffrey Almond as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
“We are very proud to welcome Jeffrey Almond as the Chairman of our Scientific Advisory Board. Jeffrey is a preeminent vaccinologist with leadership experience both in large pharmaceutical companies and in academic centers. His insights will help us to efficiently develop our lead candidate in influenza as well as our other projects”, said Alexandre Le Vert, CEO and cofounder of Osivax. “Having worked with Jeffrey Almond as a member of our SAB over the past year, we are delighted to reinforce our collaboration ”.
Dr. Almond is Visiting Professor of Microbiology at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford and is an Oxford Martin Fellow with the Oxford Martin Programme on Vaccines. Before that he was Vice President and Head of Discovery Research and External R&D at Sanofi Pasteur, where he was responsible for the early stage R&D pipeline and for establishing and managing R&D partnerships with academia and biotechnology companies. Prof. Almond is the Chairman of VirionHealth, a recently established company developing novel therapeutics for respiratory viral infections, and is serving on numerous scientific committees and advisory boards. He is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences.
« I am delighted to become the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of Osivax, and support their quest to change the field of influenza vaccination with their broad spectrum vaccine », said Jeffrey Almond. « I am impressed by the progress of their technology over the past few years and which could be used beyond the field of influenza ».
About Osivax
Osivax’s mission is to revolutionize influenza prevention with a universal flu vaccine for both current and future Influenza A and B infections by leveraging its unique oligoDOM® technology platform. The most advanced candidate, a broad-spectrum A-strain flu vaccine is in Phase 1 clinical development. Osivax is focused on providing proof-of-concept in Influenza A firstly to save lives and secondly to lay the groundwork for a universal flu vaccine as well as apply the platform to other infectious and immune system-associated diseases. For further information: www.osivax.com