Neovacs Strengthens North American Presence

Neovacs, a leader in active immunotherapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, has established a U.S. subsidiary, Neovacs, Inc., headquartered in Boston. The creation of this U.S. subsidiary marks an important strategic step for Neovacs, as the company extends its clinical initiatives for lead product candidate, IFNalpha-Kinoid, beyond the EU to the U.S. market. The establishment of this subsidiary follows the formation of a U.S. Scientific Advisory Board in October 2013.

Arlene Morris, director of Neovacs and chief executive officer of Syndax Pharmaceuticals, has been named chairman of Neovacs, Inc. Miguel Sieler, current chief executive officer of Neovacs will also hold the position of chief executive of the subsidiary.

“We are thrilled to expand our U.S. operations through the formation of Neovacs, Inc., and believe that the subsidiary will be instrumental to our ongoing clinical and regulatory efforts in support of
IFNalpha-Kinoid in systemic lupus erythematosus (“lupus”) and dermatomyositis. The United States has the world’s highest lupus prevalence, totaling over 1.5 million reported cases1, and the
unsatisfactory treatment options create a substantive opportunity for Neovacs as we continue to advance IFNalpha-Kinoid for this indication. Based on our analysis of IFNalpha-Kinoid to date, we believe the compound has significant potential in the treatment of lupus, and look forward to the ongoing development of the product as we work to bring potential relief to this large patient population,” said Miguel Sieler, CEO of Neovacs.

Neovacs plans to launch a phase IIa clinical trial of IFNalpha-Kinoid in this indication in early 2016. The company is also planning to launch further U.S. trials of IFNalpha-Kinoid in dermatomyositis, an orphan skin and muscular disease, in the short-to-mid term.

Neovacs, Inc. will be located in Boston within the French Tech Hub.