SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AffaMed Therapeutics, a new biopharmaceutical company founded and funded by C-Bridge Capital, a healthcare private equity firm focused on the development and late-stage investment opportunities, announced today that it is partnering with Samsung Bioepis to accelerate the commercialization of multiple next-generation biosimilars in China. Pharmaceutical industry veteran, Dr. Nathan Pang, will lead the Company as CEO.

The licensed products include SB3 referencing trastuzumab (Herceptin®), which received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency for sale in the European Union, SB11 referencing ranibizumab (Lucentis®), which is currently undergoing Phase 3 trials in the U.S and SB12 referencing eculizumab (Soliris®).

“Dr. Pang’s deep industry knowledge and extensive leadership skills will be invaluable as the company develops and expands its portfolio of products,” said Dr. Michael Keyoung, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Directors at AffaMed and Managing Director at C-Bridge Capital. “His previous leadership roles coupled with his expertise of the biopharmaceutical industry make him well suited to lead AffaMed.”

Dr. Pang has more than 20 years of experience as a physician and a healthcare executive. Prior to joining AffaMed Therapeutics, he was the General Manager of Sanofi Pasteur China, where he expanded the company’s pipeline by securing licensing agreements with Janssen China and Merck (MSD) China. Before that, he was the CEO of Sandoz China, the Generics Division of Novartis Group, during which he started up and grew the business to an organization with commercialised portfolio and profitable revenue. Previously, he was the Asia Pacific Regional Head for the Novartis Oncology Business Unit overseeing 14 countries in Asia including China. Dr. Pang holds a Bachelor of Medicine; Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S) from the National University of Singapore and Bachelor of Law from the University of London, as well as a dual EMBA from France’s INSEAD and China’s Tsinghua University.

“We are thrilled to partner with Samsung Bioepis, a proven leader in the global biosimilar industry, to develop these next-generation biologic candidates for patients in China,” Dr. Pang said. “Our team’s clinical, regulatory and commercial experience with innovative biologics makes AffaMed uniquely suited to advance the development and registration of these products in China.”

About AffaMed Therapeutics

AffaMed Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying and licensing late-stage candidates for commercialization in emerging Asia Pacific markets and globally. AffaMed was founded and funded by C-Bridge Capital in 2019.

About C-Bridge Capital

C-Bridge Capital is a healthcare dedicated private equity firm, focused on growth and late-stage investment opportunities across the healthcare industry. C-Bridge Capital is committed to supporting the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies and companies that fulfil unmet medical needs, thus continuously improving the standard and quality of care for patients.

Contacts:

Media in US and Europe: James Heins Senior Vice President Westwicke PR, an ICR Company Tel. +1 203-682-8251 James.Heins@icrinc.com

Media in Asia: Edmond Lococo Senior Vice Present ICR Asia +86(10) 6583-7510 Edmond.lococo@icrinc.com