Affimed wins Aventis Behring Manager Rolf H. Günther as new Chief Executive Officer
Heidelberg - 1. October 2004. The German biotech company Affimed Therapeutics AG, one of the few companies worldwide with a proprietary library of human anti bodies, announced today the appointment of Rolf H. Günther, MD, PhD, as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Dr. Günther was Vice President and General Manager of the Business Unit Critical Care Products at Aventis Behring. The physician and chemist brings over 21 years of international experience in big pharmaceutical companies into his new job. During his career Dr. Günther was in charge of several senior positions in R&D and Sales and Marketing. Before leading the Critical Care Products Business Unit he was Vice President of Global Clinical Research and Development and responsible for successful drug approvals in the US and Europe.
»We are delighted that we succeeded in winning such a highly qualified and internationally experienced specialist who successfully initiated and managed strategic alliances in the field of monoclonal antibodies«, said Hubertus Leonhardt, head of the supervisory board of Affimed and managing director of the venture capital company SHS. »Dr. Günther joins us at a key point for the further growth of the company«.
Dr. Günther commented:»I am very much looking forward to my exciting task to further develop Affimed at this key point. Affimed is a company with a significant upside potential. My primary objective as the new CEO is to tap that full potential by initiating further alliances with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Affimed excels with a highly qualified team of internationally renowned and successful scientists, a very innovative technology platform and a number of highly promising ethical development products«.
Affimed Therapeutics AG
Affimed Therapeutics is a product-oriented biotechnology company positioned in one of the fastest growing segments in the pharmaceutical industry - the market for human monoclonal antibodies. The company was founded as a spin-off from the renowned German Cancer Research Center and recently successfully closed a second round of financial investment. Affimed develops new therapeutic reagents on the basis of human recombinant antibodies, both for itself and in partnership with pharmaceutical companies. The antibodies are selected from Affimed`s own patented libraries using phage display technology. Affimeds product development is focused on oncology. In addition, products have been developed for the indications thrombosis, immunosuppression and asthma. Affimed has concluded several international licensing an cross-licensing agreements has recently signed an product development contract with a large biotec partner.
Affimed Therapeutics AG, located in Heidelberg, Germany, was founded by Prof. Melvyn Little, PhD, today the company's Chief Scientific Officer, and the Ventury Capital company SHS . Shareholders are Prof. Little, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), and funds managed by SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement mbH, Tübingen, (www.shsvc.net) and First Ventury Equity GmbH, Heidelberg, (www.first-ventury.de). A further investment was provided from tbg Technologie-Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mbH, Bonn.