New Manufacturing Capabilities to Support early Development
Mads Laustsen, formerly of CMC Biologics, Joins Symphogen 1 June 2014
COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Symphogen A/S, a private biopharmaceutical company with leadership in recombinant antibody mixtures for therapeutic use, today announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters in Lyngby, outside Copenhagen, Denmark to a 10.000 m2 (100,000 ft2) facility in Ballerup, also a suburb of Copenhagen. Separately, Symphogen announced that Mads Laustsen was appointed to the newly created position of Chief Manufacturing Officer.
Mads Laustsen, one of the founders of CMC Biologics, served as the Company’s CEO from the time of the Company’s inception 2001 until May 2011, when he was named to the Board of Directors. During this period, the company grew from a business idea to a global leader in contract biologics manufacturing. Laustsen joins Symphogen June 1, but remains a non-executive Director on the CMC Biologics Board. Prior to establishing CMC Biologics, he spent 16 years developing and manufacturing bulk enzymes and biopharmaceuticals at Novo Nordisk, Zymogenetics, and Novozymes. Laustsen has served as a member of various advisory boards, has been active in development of new process technologies, and holds numerous patents in the field.
Laustsen commented,
“Symphogen’s antibody mixtures are at the forefront of a new generation of therapeutic options for cancer patients. Equally as important, Symphogen has pioneered manufacturing processes that few believed were possible, and demonstrated capabilities and efficiencies that are now ready to advance to a much larger scale. Clearly, the company is at a crossroads in its development, and I look forward to joining its accomplished leadership team.”
Chief Executive Officer of Symphogen, Kirsten Drejer, PhD commented:
“Mads Laustsen adds extensive manufacturing experience to Symphogen’s experienced Executive Management Team, and will help transform Symphogen from a company focused on R&D to an integrated business organization with in-house antibody production capabilities.”
About Symphogen A/S
Symphogen is developing next-generation antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and is dedicated to bringing truly innovative oncology products to the market.
The Company has advanced the frontier of antibody discovery by creating well-characterized antibody mixtures that address multiple oncology targets in a single drug product. The Company has matured its oncology pipeline and has currently brought two product candidates into the clinic. The Company’s productive technology suite – capable of identifying, selecting and manufacturing optimal antibody mixtures – fuels Symphogen’s innovative pipeline.
The lead oncology product Sym004, was out-licensed to Merck KGaA in 2012 following phase 2 clinical data in late stage cancer patients.
In total, the Company has raised €249 million in equity capital from premier international investors, and employs 100 people, most of whom are based at Symphogen’s facilities in Copenhagen.