Bordeaux, November 2020 – Aelis Farma, a biotechnology company specialized in the treatment of brain disorders, announces the appointment of Anders Gersel Pedersen as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Anders brings to the company his experience in the pharmaceutical industry and his well-known expertise in the development of new drugs for brain diseases.
Anders received his medical degree and doctoral degree from the University of Copenhagen (1987) and an MBA from the Copenhagen Business School (1990).
Between 1988 and 1999, Anders held senior management positions in clinical research including director of the oncology program at Eli Lilly. He then joined Lundbeck, a leading pharmaceutical company for the development of new treatment for psychiatric and neurological disorders in 2000 and served on the board as an executive from 2008 and retired as Executive Vice President for Research and Development (2012-2018). In that period, he led multiple development programs and US, European, Chinese and Japanese marked authorisations.
Throughout his career, Anders has supported several fast-growing biotechnology companies as nonexecutive Director. He served for more than ten years (2000-2011) on the board of the company TopoTarget and for twelve years on the board of ALK-Abelio (2005-2018), a pharmaceutical company.
Anders is currently a member of the board of Hansa Biopharma, where he also is Chairman of the scientific committee. He has served since 2003 on the board of Genmab (previously as Chairman), a leading biotechnology company focused on development and commercialisation of antibody products and he has served since 2009 on the board of Bavarian Nordic (currently as Deputy Chairman), a biotechnology company specialised in vaccines.
Within AELIS FARMA, Anders will contribute to the strategic and clinical development of the company’s innovative new class of drugs for the treatment of brain diseases. AELIS FARMA currently has two flagship compounds: AEF0117, in phase II for the treatment of cannabis addiction and cannabis induced psychosis; and AEF0217 which will enter phase I in early 2021 for the treatment of cognitive deficits in particular in patients with Down syndrome.
Pier Vincenzo Piazza, co-founder and President of AELIS FARMA, comments: “We are very proud that Anders has joined us as Chairman of the Board. His vast experience in drug development in the central nervous system area and his in-depth knowledge of the biotechnology industry will be an invaluable asset for the growth of our company.”
Anders Gersel Pedersen, Chairman of the Board of AELIS FARMA, declares: “It is a great pleasure to be appointed Chairman of the Board of a company as innovative as AELIS FARMA. I look forward to contributing to the development of AELIS FARMA’s new drugs that represent a breakthrough in neuropharmacology. The development of CB1 Signaling Specific Inhibitors of AELIS FARMA promises to be exciting and I am delighted to collaborate with the team led by Pier Vincenzo Piazza.”