GHP July 2016

ghp July 2016 | 69 Education, HR & Skills Dr Klassen brings nearly 14 years of industry experience to Sanifit and five years prior to this in Nephrology as a faculty member at Duke. He brings with him experience of taking a drug all the way through to approval at the FDA. In addition to his CMO role within the company, Dr Klassen will serve as President of the US subsidiary and his primary responsibilities will include leading the clinical development of SNF472 and enhancing the Company’s growing presence in the US. Dr Klassen is the first of the new hires planned by Sanifit as the Company establishes its US office based in San Diego. Commenting on the appointment, Joan Perelló, CEO of Sanifit said: “We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Preston’s experience join our leadership team. His first class operational and clinical development expertise in nephrology and cardiometabolic drug development, coupled with his leadership experience, will be invaluable in taking our lead product through to regulatory approval. “Furthermore, we are very pleased to announce the opening of our US subsidiary, Sanifit Inc. The appointment of Preston and the opening of our new office in San Diego provide a robust platform for Sanifit’s growth strategy as we expand into the US.” Dr Klassen added: “I am excited to join the highly experienced team at Sanifit, and to assume responsibility for leading the development of its primary asset, SN472, in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases linked to calcification, including patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) undergoing haemodialysis, for which there are currently no approved drugs, and the orphan drug program for calciphylaxis.” Dr Klassen was most recently Executive Vice President, Head of Global Development at Orexigen Therapeutics. Previously, Dr Klassen held several positions of increasing responsibility at Amgen, Inc., including Therapeutic Area Head for Nephrology. Laboratoris Sanifit S.L., a clinical-stage company focused on treatments for calcification disorders, recently announced the appointment of Dr Preston S. Klassen, MD, MHS as its Chief Medical Officer and the launch of its US Subsidiary Sanifit Inc., based in San Diego, USA. Sanifit Appoints Preston S. Klassen MD, MHS as Chief Medical Officer and Announces New US Subsidiary Prior to joining Amgen, Dr Klassen was a faculty member in the Division of Nephrology at Duke University Medical Center from 1997 to 2002. Dr Klassen received his M.D. from the University Of Nebraska College Of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine, fellowship in Nephrology, and M.H.S. degree at Duke University. The announcement follows the recent appointment of Keith R. Leonard, Former President & CEO of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, to Sanifit’s Board of Directors. For further information, please visit: www.sanifit.com