Biopharmaceutical company Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation has appointed three new executive members to support their mission of finding a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). The new senior vice president of corporate affairs, vice president of chemistry and vice president of biology are expected to bring their valuable experience in the industry, as well as complementary skills to join to the senior leadership of the company.
Tekmira announced in a press release that Adam Cutler is now the company’s new senior vice president of corporate affairs, Bruce Dorsey, the new vice president of chemistry and Rene Cornelis Rijnbrand the new vice president of biology. All of them are experienced and successful members of the biopharmaceutical industry, despite their varied backgrounds.
“We are delighted to welcome Adam, Bruce and Rene to our executive team at this exciting time in Tekmira’s evolution and emergence as an HBV solutions company,” stated the president and CEO of Tekmira, Mark J. Murray. “Adam has an unparalleled reputation as a top-ranked biotechnology sell-side analyst and advisor, with extensive experience in capital formation, corporate positioning and reputation management.
“Bruce and Rene each has more than 10 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, leading high-profile discovery research teams spanning multiple therapeutic areas, with strong focus on virology and HBV. Tekmira’s leadership team today is comprised of highly creative, productive and accomplished professionals with a shared commitment to advancing novel, combination therapeutic solutions and establishing Tekmira as a global industry leader pioneering a cure for HBV,” added Murray.
Adam Cutler is leaving the Trout Group LLC and Trout Capital LLC to join Tekmira’s team. During his time with Trout, Cutler executed financings and advised life science companies on investor relations, business development and capital raising strategy. With a BA in Economics from Brandeis University, he has 12 years of experience as a sell-side analyst in companies such as Credit Suisse, Canaccord Genuity, JMP Securities, and Banc of America Securities, as well as previous analytical and consulting experience at The Frankel Group and Ernst & Young Healthcare Consulting.
Bruce Dorsey was the vice president of chemistry at OnCore Biopharma, and will now serve in the same position at Tekmira. He has previously worked in the HBV field, and his experience includes other companies like Teva Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Locus Discovery and Merck & Co. Dorsey has been awarded several grants and is an inventor of the HIV protease inhibitor CRIXIVAN that blocks the virus’ replication.
Rene Rijnbrand is leaving the position of vice president and head of biology at OnCore Biopharma. He was previously responsible for work focused on the virology and immunology of chronic HBV infections in order to develop treatment options. In addition, Rijnbrand was also the director of the virology program at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and at Immusol/Itherex Pharmaceuticals and taught in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Tekmira has made several changes recently and also conducted a merger with OnCore Biopharma, Inc. in order to enable the creation of a top-industry therapeutic solutions firm committed to developing a cure to address chronic HBV. This transaction was approved with 99.5% of votes cast by Tekmira shareholders, while the transaction received all requisite regulatory approvals in the United States and Canada.