BOSTON and LONDON, June 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics, a leading commercial stage biotech company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies, today announced the appointments of Marc Dunoyer and Charlie Rowland to its board of directors as independent directors.
“We are honored to have Marc and Charlie join our board,” said Mark Rothera, president and chief executive officer of Orchard. “They bring a rich combination of experience and leadership to Orchard, including building rare disease companies, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and portfolio strategy and financial discipline. I look forward to building a leading global gene therapy company with their guidance."
Marc Dunoyer is currently chief financial officer and a member of the senior executive team of AstraZeneca, managing the group’s financing strategy and governance. Mr. Dunoyer joined AstraZeneca from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2013 as executive vice president, global portfolio & product strategy. During his tenure at GSK, Mr. Dunoyer served on the company’s corporate executive team and held positions as president for Asia-Pacific and Japan and foundational global head of GSK’s Rare Diseases Unit, where he established an integrated global capability to bring rare disease programs from R&D through to commercialization. Prior to joining GSK, Mr. Dunoyer held international positions in operations and general management at Hoechst Marion Roussel. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Hautes Etudes Commerciales and a Bachelor of Law degree from Paris University.
Mr. Dunoyer stated, “I look forward to working with Orchard’s leadership during the company’s transition to a global, fully integrated business advancing a rich clinical pipeline of gene therapies and bringing commercially approved products to patients across the world.”
Charles A. Rowland Jr. has more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience and is a strategic advisor and board member for multiple biotechnology companies. Mr. Rowland was most recently the president and chief executive officer of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the global lupus nephritis market. Prior to Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, he served as vice president and chief financial officer of ViroPharma, during which time the company grew into a global biopharmaceutical rare diseases business with $500 million in annual revenues, until it was acquired by Shire plc for $4.2 billion. He previously held finance, operational and executive positions of increasing responsibility at Endo, Biovail Pharmaceuticals, Breakaway Technologies, Pharmacia, Novartis and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Mr. Rowland currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Blueprint Medicines, Nabriva Therapeutics, Viking Therapeutics and Psioxus Therapeutics. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Joseph's University.
“Orchard’s gene therapies hold enormous potential for patients with rare diseases,” said Mr. Rowland. “As a board member of Orchard, I look forward to bringing my experience to help the company create value for patients and their families, and also payers, society and investors.”
About Orchard Orchard Therapeutics is a leading global fully integrated commercial stage biotech company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare diseases through innovative gene therapies.
Evolved from over 20 years of academic research, Orchard has developed a unique expertise in the manufacturing, preclinical and clinical development of gene therapies for rare diseases. Orchard’s portfolio of autologous ex vivo gene therapy programs has demonstrated sustained clinical benefit in over 130 patients across five disease areas. These programs include Strimvelis, the first autologous ex vivo gene therapy approved by the EMA in 2016, 3 programs in advanced registrational studies in MLD (metachromatic leukodystrophy), WAS (Wiskott Aldrich syndrome) and ADA-SCID (adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency), other clinical programs in X-CGD (X-linked chronic granulomatous disease) and beta-thalassemia, as well as an extensive preclinical pipeline.
The company is partnered with world-leading institutions in gene therapy, including University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals, the University of California Los Angeles, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy/Ospedale San Raffaele.
Orchard is privately held with offices in the UK and the US, including London, San Francisco and Boston. The company raised $110 million in a Series B in December 2017, was named a Fierce 15 Company by FierceBiotech in 2016 and was awarded a $19 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
For further information please visit www.orchard-tx.com
Contacts
Corporate contact Mary D. Wallace Orchard Therapeutics 781-608-3666 Mary.Wallace@orchard-tx.com
Media contact Allison Blum, Ph.D. LifeSci Public Relations +1 516 655 0842 Allison@lifescipublicrelations.com
