TURKU, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forendo Pharma, a clinical-stage drug development company focusing on novel treatments in women’s health, today announced that Dr Cristina Csimma has been appointed as Chair of the Board of Directors. Cristina brings with her deep expertise in the biopharmaceutical, venture capital, and academic sectors.
Commenting on the appointment, Risto Lammintausta, Chief Executive Officer of Forendo Pharma said: “Cristina’s extensive experience at the intersection of areas of global drug development and value creation in biotechnology companies makes her an invaluable addition to the Forendo team as we advance our lead compound towards clinical proof-of-concept in endometriosis patients. I am delighted to welcome her to the Forendo Board at such an exciting time where we are translating intracrine biology into first-in-class therapeutic solutions. We look forward to leveraging Cristina’s strategic guidance in the growth of the company.”
Dr Csimma added: “The great unmet medical need in the Women’s Health sector is ripe for rediscovery by the biopharma industry. Forendo’s disruptive intracrinology platform, combined with its profound scientific expertise, positions the company as first-in-class in this area. I am thrilled to be joining Forendo on their journey to address women’s serious health conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome with an unprecedented tissue-specific focus while also exploring the potential of their innovative platform for treating a range of other diseases.”
In addition to her role at Forendo, Dr Csimma serves on the Boards of Caraway Therapeutics (Chair), T1D Exchange, Idera Pharma and Seneca Biopharma, and other senior advisory roles. She was previously the Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of Exonics Therapeutics, Board Director of Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Board Director of Vtesse Pharma and Board Director of Cydan where she was President and founding CEO.
Earlier in her career, Dr Csimma held roles with Clarus Ventures LLC, Virdante Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth, Genetics Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Science from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, as well as a Master of Health Professions from Northeastern University.
About Forendo:
At Forendo, we are pioneering the translation of intracrinology science into first-in-class therapeutic solutions. Intracrinology enables us to address diseases on an unprecedented tissue-specific level. Our lead clinical compound in endometriosis is positioned to address a significant unmet need through its local effect on endometriotic lesions. Our second program is targeting polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which currently has no approved therapies.
In addition to women’s health programs, Forendo has a strategic collaboration with Novartis leveraging our unique HSD17B platform in chronic liver diseases.
Forendo is based in Finland and backed by Novo Seeds, Karolinska Development, Innovestor, Novartis Venture Fund, M Ventures, Vesalius Biocapital III Partners and Sunstone Life Science Ventures.
For more information, please visit: www.forendo.com. Stay in touch by following us on our social channels: LinkedIn and Twitter.
