Benzinga | Sep 16, 2021 04:01PM EDT

Inventiva Announces Major Recruitments To 'Accelerate The Development Of lanifibranor In NASH'

Inventiva (NASDAQ:IVA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oral small molecule therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) and other diseases with significant unmet medical need, today announced a series of recruitments with a view to accelerate the development of its lead drug candidate lanifibranor for the treatment of NASH.

The complementary profiles of the new arrivals will allow Inventiva to strengthen its expertise in clinical operations and drug development while reinforcing its core corporate functions.

Following the opening of Inventiva's subsidiary in the United States in January 2021, these recruitments will further expand the Company's footprint in this key geography and consolidate its presence in France.

Recruitments -- Clinical operations and medical team

With over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical and clinical development, Alice Roudot-Ketelers, PharmD, joins Inventiva as Vice President Clinical Operations and Pharmaceutical Development and member of its Executive Committee. Based in France, she will lead and oversee the Company's global clinical and pharmaceutical development activities, particularly focusing on the development of lanifibranor and the recently launched pivotal NATiV3 Phase III clinical trial in NASH. Prior to joining Inventiva, Alice was in charge of all drug development programs and oversaw cross-functional teams in Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), non-clinical and clinical development up to Phase III at one of the major biotech companies in the NASH field.

Jean-Paul Dutertre, MD, joins the Company as Head of Pharmacovigilance in France, leading Inventiva's pharmacovigilance activities with a focus on lanifibranor. Leveraging 30 years of experience in pharmacovigilance, Jean Paul worked for large pharmaceutical groups, including Eli Lilly and Company and GlaxoSmithKline, as well as biotech companies following his first position as Phase I physician at Fournier. In his different roles, Jean-Paul has led the establishment and maintenance of pharmacovigilance systems and processes. In this context, he frequently interacted with the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and was in charge, amongst others, of drafting the safety components for the applications of various drug candidates.

Sanjay Patel, MD, joins Inventiva in the role of Medical Director, with a proven expertise in diabetes and orphan diseases. Based in the United Kingdom, he reinforces Inventiva's clinical team to support the development of lanifibranor for the treatment of NASH. Sanjay is an experienced Global Clinical Research Physician who has over 20 years of experience in clinical development within both large pharmaceutical groups, including Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline and Boehringer Ingelheim, and biotech companies.

Gerardo Rodriguez, MD, PhD, joins Inventiva as Senior Medical Director, based in the United States. With more than 17 years of experience in drug development, he will co-lead the Company's pivotal Phase III clinical study with lanifibranor in NASH. Gerardo is a widely recognized cardiovascular endocrinologist, gene therapist and researcher, with a strong expertise across hepatology, diabetes, endocrinology and cardiovascular research, having worked for large pharmaceutical groups, biotech companies and Contract Research Organizations (CROs). Prior to joining Inventiva, Gerardo was the Head of Therapeutic Area of the Liver Disease Program at AbbVie, where he was involved in the Phase III clinical trial with cenicriviroc in NASH and led more than 45 Phase II clinical studies in NASH, in big and small pharmaceutical companies. Previously, Gerardo served as scientific advisor on NASH, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases for leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Company, and Astra Zeneca.

Based in the United States, Joseph Covino, BS, joins the Company as Senior Director Clinical Operations to lead Inventiva's clinical operations in the Unites States, with a primary focus on the Phase III clinical trial with lanifibranor. Joseph has more than 15 years of experience in drug development and managing clinical research trials, focusing on hepatology, cardiology, respiratory and rare diseases as well as oncology.

Recruitments -- Corporate functions

Based in France, Eric Duranson, LLM, joins Inventiva in the role of General Counsel and as member of its Executive Committee. At Inventiva, he will focus on the acceleration of the Company's strategy and further expansion. Eric has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry, supporting companies such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sanofi and bioMerieux, throughout all product development stages, from research and development to marketing.

Pascaline Clerc, PhD, joins the Company as Vice President Global External Affairs to lead Inventiva's corporate and strategic communications, patient advocacy and stakeholder engagement to support the development of its pipeline, with a primary focus on lanifibranor and NASH. Based in the United States, Pascaline has more than 15 years of experience in patient engagement, particularly in the area of NASH as part of a Phase III clinical trial, public policy and scientific research.

Fr?d?ric Cren, Chairman, CEO and cofounder of Inventiva, said "We are delighted to welcome these important new hires. Reinforcing our presence in the U.S. and consolidating our footprint in France, they join us at a critical time, as we advance with the pivotal development of lanifibranor in NASH and the recently launched Phase III clinical trial. Their solid track records and complementary expertise, spanning clinical operations, drug development and corporate functions, will be a great addition to our teams and key to accelerate both the development of lanifibranor and our R&D portfolio at large."