–Osivax, a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines to provide broad-spectrum protection against highly mutating infectious viruses and diseases, announced today the appointment of Dr. Nicola Groth, MD, PhD to its executive committee as Chief Medical Officer. She brings over 25 years of experience in vaccine development with considerable expertise in influenza vaccines, from early-stage clinical development to approval and post-marketing commitments. Dr. Groth joins Osivax as the company advances the development of its lead candidate, OVX836, a best-in-class broad-spectrum influenza vaccine candidate currently being evaluated in several Phase 2 clinical trials. Dr. Groth takes over from Dr. Willems, whose contribution has been instrumental in advancing Osivax’ clinical strategy.
We are thrilled to announce the addition of Nicola to our executive team as CMO. With her extensive leadership background in vaccine development and interactions with regulatory agencies, particularly in influenza vaccines, she brings invaluable expertise to our organization. Nicola’s experience in managing late-stage clinical trials and building registration packages for influenza vaccines will be crucial as we progress OVX836 through Phase 2 clinical testing and approach the clinic with our universal coronavirus vaccine candidate, OVX033,” commented Alexandre Le Vert, CEO and Co-Founder of Osivax. “I would also like to express my gratitude for the contributions of Dr. Paul Willems, MD, whose dedication has brought Osivax to this point of development.”
“Joining the high-performing team at Osivax represents a unique opportunity to support the development of a new class of vaccines capable of providing broad-spectrum protection against infectious viruses and diseases that continue posing global health threats,”said Dr. Nicola Groth, CMO of Osivax. “I am eager to lend my expertise to further drive Osivax’ clinical programs and impact in this field.”
Before joining Osivax, Dr. Groth served as Global Head of Safety Evaluation & Risk Management at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Vaccines. She has also held various strategic positions in vaccine development, epidemiology, and medical affairs at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics and the Chiron Corporation. Nicola Groth holds a Doctor of Medicine and a PhD in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine from the University of Siena, Italy.
About Osivax
Osivax is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its novel, self-assembling nanoparticle platform technology, oligoDOM®, to develop transformative, first-in-class pan-respiratory virus vaccines generating superior T-cell responses in addition to strong and sustained B-cell responses. The company is establishing proof of concept with its broad-spectrum, “universal” influenza candidate, OVX836, which is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials with over 1,200 subjects tested and encouraging efficacy proof of concept data. Osivax’ ambition is to develop a pan-respiratory virus vaccine to prevent all strains of influenza and all variants of sarbecovirus in one single shot. The company will expand into other infectious disease indications through combinations and collaborations worldwide.
