Asceneuron Welcomes Barbara Angehrn Pavik as New CEO

Lausanne, SWITZERLAND, 6 Oct. 2023 - Asceneuron SA, a clinical stage company dedicated to targeting the root causes of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of Barbara Angehrn Pavik as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as part of a leadership transition poised to propel the company into its next phase of growth, with two compounds in clinical development.

Dirk Beher, co-founder of Asceneuron, its original Chief Scientific Officer, and CEO since 2014, will transition to the key role of Chief Scientific Advisor.

"Dirk's leadership and unwavering dedication has been a cornerstone of Asceneuron, enabling the company to become a true pioneer in our field," said Peter Van Vlasselaer, the Board Chair. "With interest in this therapeutic area accelerating, we're seeing a surge in momentum for the company and an opportune moment to bolster Asceneuron’s position. Barbara's appointment will help us capitalize on this pivotal moment.”

Angehrn Pavik is an industry stalwart with more than 20 years of experience who has held key leadership roles in EU and US companies, including Amgen, Onyx, Exelixis, and was the Founder and CEO of Stepstone Pharma. Most recently, as the Chief Business Officer at Vifor, Angehrn Pavik played a key role in the company's acquisition by CSL Limited.

"I am deeply honored to be joining the Asceneuron team at this transformative juncture," Angehrn Pavik said. "Moving into clinical development is a pivotal step, and I'm eager to build on the strong foundation laid by Dirk and the Asceneuron team."

Beher added, "It's been a journey of passion and commitment at Asceneuron, and I am confident that under Barbara's leadership, the company will soar to new heights. I look forward to supporting her vision in my capacity as the Chief Scientific Advisor."

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For media inquiries, please contact:
Barbara Angehrn Pavik
Chief Executive Officer, Asceneuron
barbara.angehrn@asceneuron.com

About Asceneuron
Asceneuron is a clinical stage biotech company focused on the development of orally bioavailable therapeutics for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders with high unmet medical need. The company's pipeline reflects its ambition to develop treatments for a wide a range of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, as well as orphan tauopathies. Asceneuron has two potential best-in class, clinical-stage small molecule O-GlcNAcase inhibitors in development for the treatment of proteinopathies: one for Parkinson’s disease, and another for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

Asceneuron is a privately held company financed by a renowned syndicate of investors consisting of Sofinnova Partners, M Ventures, SR One, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC) and Kurma Partners. For more information, please visit www.asceneuron.com.

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