Biosergen AS appoints Gunilla Ekström as CEO
TRONDHEIM October 11, 2012. Biosergen AS, a Karolinska Development portfolio company, announced today the appointment of Gunilla Ekström as new CEO.
“We are very pleased to have appointed Gunilla Ekström as our new CEO in Biosergen AS”, says Ola Flink, Chairman of Biosergen. “Gunilla Ekström has more than 20 years of experience from the pharmaceutical industry. Her broad knowledge in all stages of pharmaceutical development will be of great benefit to the company.”
Biosergen has developed a series of novel polyene macrolide antifungals with unique properties. The lead compound BSG005, which is currently in early preclinical development phase, has properties superior to those of the conventional antifungal therapy in terms of activity, toxicity and pharmacokinetics.
“I am excited to lead Biosergen. BSG005 has truly unique medical and commercial potential, I look forward to take this potential novel treatment for severe systemic fungal infection through preclinical development towards the first trials in man”, says Gunilla Ekström.
Gunilla Ekström holds an MD and PhD from Karolinska Institutet and is Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet. She has over 20 years of experience from senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry, including as Global Product Director at AstraZeneca R&D and Senior Vice President at Orexo AB. She also serves as VP Operations of Karolinska Development and as Board Director of Lipidor AB and Pharmanest AB. The former CEO, Nils Spidsøe, will remain in the company as senior advisor.
For further information, please contact:
Ola Flink, Chairman of the Board, Biosergen AS
Phone: +46 70 350 39 94
About Biosergen
Biosergen AS is a biotech company developing new drugs based on cutting edge biosynthetic engineering of natural products, combined with chemical synthesis. The company’s lead product BSG005 is a novel polyene macrolide antifungal agent, currently in preclinical development for the treatment of severe, systemic fungal infections.
The mortality rate for two of the most common severe, fungal infections, candidiasis and aspergillosis, is very high. Limitations with current treatments include severe nephrotoxicity, tolerance development and difficult drug interactions. With BSG005, Biosergen is aiming at targeting this high unmet medical need. This novel polyene macrolide has the potential to become a broad spectrum anti-fungal systemic medicine with lower nephrotoxicity and faster time-to-onset than existing pharmaceutical treatments. Biosergen AS is located in Trondheim, Norway. The current major owners of the company are Karolinska Development AB, SpinOut Venture II and Östersjöstiftelsen.