Abivax Appoints Marc de Garidel as Chief Executive Officer and Interim Board Chair

Abivax, a Phase 3 clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics that modulate the immune system to treat patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, today announces the appointment of Marc de Garidel as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Interim Board Chair, effective May 5, 2023.

Corinna zur Bonsen-Thomas will step down as acting Chair, a position she has held since August 2022, and will remain a Board Member. Prof. Hartmut J. Ehrlich, M.D., will retire from the CEO position, which he has held since the Company’s founding in 2013, and will stay on as a strategic advisor until the transition is complete. The Company expects to appoint a long-term Board Chair in 2023.

Marc has an outstanding track record in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector and as a CEO for the last 12 years. Marc led the successful sale of CinCor Pharma for up to $1.8B, subject to the achievement of certain milestones, to AstraZeneca in February 2023, after joining the firm in July 2021. Marc also sold Corvidia Therapeutics in August 2020 to Novo Nordisk for $2.1B in total consideration after having joined the company in April 2018. He was the CEO of Ipsen between November 2010 and July 2016, overseeing the development of its U.S. presence. Prior to that, Marc worked for Amgen and Eli Lilly in jobs of increasing responsibilities in various markets, like the United States and Europe. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Ipsen since 2010 and is a member of the board of directors of Claris Bio since 2020. Marc has a degree in Civil Engineering from the Ecole des Travaux Publics in Paris, has a Master’s in International Management (MIM) from Thunderbird Global School Management and an executive MBA from Harvard Business School.

Marc de Garidel, new CEO and Interim Chair of the Board of Abivax, stated: “I am thrilled to join Abivax during this crucial time of company growth and after seeing the promising Phase 2b results for obefazimod in ulcerative colitis. I believe obefazimod has the potential to transform the treatment and the lives of many patients suffering from ulcerative colitis. I look forward to working with the team to assess the full potential of obefazimod for the treatment of different chronic inflammatory diseases with a high unmet medical need. I would like to thank Hartmut for his commitment and am excited to build upon his achievements.”

Corinna zur Bonsen-Thomas, Chair of Abivax, added: “The Abivax Board warmly welcomes Marc as the new CEO of Abivax. We believe his impressive track record and experience in the biopharma sector make him the ideal leader to take the team and obefazimod towards commercialization. We are confident he will continue to position the Company as a major player in the field of chronic inflammatory diseases, executing on Abivax’s clinical and financial strategy. We also thank Hartmut for his outstanding work since the inception of Abivax.”

Prof. Hartmut J. Ehrlich, M.D., CEO of Abivax, said: “I am excited that Marc has been selected as the new CEO of Abivax. With his impressive track record in Pharma and Biotech, I believe, Marc is the right person to lead the Company during this important transition as it moves towards commercialization of its lead product candidate, obefazimod. After nearly a decade of leading the Abivax management team and bringing obefazimod into the global pivotal Phase 3 program in ulcerative colitis, I am grateful for the Board’s support in building a strong, international management team.“