GHENT, Belgium -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --
MRM Health NV, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for inflammatory, CNS and metabolic diseases, today announced the appointment of Grégoire Franoux, M.B.A., to the newly created role of Chief Business Officer. Concurrently, the company has strengthened its Board of Directors with the appointment of industry veteran Ron Robison, M.D.
“We are excited to have Grégoire join our executive team at this pivotal moment for MRM Health, on the cusp of late-stage clinical development for our lead candidate MH002 in ulcerative colitis and pouchitis, from our proprietary CORAL platform designed to harness the full power of the gut microbiome to develop effective and safe therapeutics,” said Sam Possemiers, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of MRM Health. “Grégoire’s extensive expertise in corporate development, combined with his strategic acumen, will be crucial as we continue to advance our pipeline and expand our reach.”
Mr. Franoux will lead the company’s business development and corporate strategy, focusing on forging strategic partnerships and driving growth. He brings 20 years of experience in strategic planning, licensing, business development and corporate finance within the biotechnology sector. He joins MRM Health from Belfius Bank, where he was spearheading Corporate Finance and Capital Markets activities in the Life Sciences sector. Prior to joining Belfius, Gregoire held senior business development positions at Oxurion, Gruenenthal GmbH and Flamel Technologies. He holds an M.S. in Biotechnology from ESIEE Paris, an M.S. in International Finance from IAE Aix-Marseille, and an Executive M.B.A. from INSEAD.
“It is an exciting time to join the MRM Health team as the company makes important progress advancing next-generation LBPs for inflammatory, CNS and metabolic diseases. I look forward to optimizing the value of MRM’s potentially life-altering therapies and delivering them to patients in need,” commented Grégoire Franoux.
In addition, MRM Health welcomes Ron Robison, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Ron, who previously served as Vice President at AbbVie, brings over three decades of experience in drug development and commercialization. Ron also served in global senior pharmaceutical R&D leadership roles at several organizations, including Mallinckrodt Medical, Sanofi/Sterling Winthrop, Nycomed, Amersham Health, Abbott and Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer at Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Ron has overseen the approval of more than 20 new molecular entities worldwide with over ten innovative clinical indications obtained under FDA breakthrough therapy designation. Dr. Robison holds an M.D. from the Oregon Health Sciences University, an M.S. in Medical Informatics/Biomedical Engineering from the University of Utah, and a B.S. from Oregon State University.
MRM Health Chairman Werner Cautreels added, “We are thrilled to have Ron join our Board. His deep industry knowledge and experience progressing assets through clinical and global regulatory development will be invaluable as we continue to grow and develop potentially transformative therapies.”
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About MRM Health
MRM Health is a clinical-stage biotech developing innovative therapeutics for inflammatory, CNS and metabolic diseases. The Company’s most advanced program MH002 is in preparation for pivotal clinical development in Ulcerative Colitis and/or in the orphan disease indication Pouchitis. MRM Health leverages its proprietary disruptive CORAL® technology platform to design microbiome-based biotherapeutics, based on disease-focused specific combinations of 5 to 10 live gut bacteria, and to optimize them for faster onset-of-action and increased potency and robustness. A significant differentiator is the ability to manufacture these consortia as single drug substance in a single standardized, scalable and highly cost-effective process. In addition to the program in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, MRM Health has ongoing preclinical programs in Parkinson’s Disease and Spondyloarthritis, and partnered programs with IFF in Type 2 Diabetes and NAFLD.
