Two New Executives Join VaxInnate Management Team

CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VaxInnate Corporation today announced the expansion of its executive management team with the addition of Christine Mayer as Vice President of Business Development and Katalin Abraham as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. VaxInnate is a biotechnology firm pioneering breakthrough technology for the development of novel vaccines.

“With our proprietary vaccine technology and the funding from our contract with the U.S. government to develop flu vaccines in place, we are relying on the skill and dedication of our management team to achieve our strategic vision for VaxInnate”

Mayer, who is the former Senior Vice President of Business Development at Biovail Pharmaceuticals, will use her experience in collaborations and partnerships to help VaxInnate achieve its strategic vision. Abraham, who previously served as Director of Regulatory Affairs at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where she was responsible for pandemic and adjuvanted influenza vaccines, becomes VaxInnate’s primary liaison with regulatory agencies.

Both will play integral roles in advancing the development of VaxInnate’s vaccines for three key infectious diseases. These include vaccines for seasonal and pandemic flu; dengue fever, a growing disease that affects millions globally; and Clostridium difficile, the cause of increasing disease and death, primarily among elderly populations in developed countries.

“With our proprietary vaccine technology and the funding from our contract with the U.S. government to develop flu vaccines in place, we are relying on the skill and dedication of our management team to achieve our strategic vision for VaxInnate,” said Wayne Pisano, President and CEO. “Chris and Kati join VaxInnate at a most opportune time and we are confident that they will play key roles in helping us advance our novel vaccine programs through clinical trials to the marketplace.”

Prior to her role at Biovail, Mayer served in senior positions at sanofi aventis and Johnson & Johnson. She received a bachelor’s degree from Glassboro State College and a master’s degree from Rutgers University.

Before joining GSK, Abraham held senior positions at Merck & Co, Inc. and the former Centocor, now known as Janssen Biotech, Inc. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

About VaxInnate

VaxInnate is a privately-held biotechnology company in Cranbury, NJ that is pioneering breakthrough technology for use in developing novel and proprietary vaccines. VaxInnate’s vaccines focus on infectious diseases, including seasonal and pandemic flu, dengue, malaria, and Clostridium difficile. VaxInnate’s technology has the potential to dramatically improve the potency, manufacturing capacity and cost-effectiveness of vaccines.

In 2011, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a contract to VaxInnate worth up to $196 million over five years to fund the development of seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines using recombinant technology.

VaxInnate has already generated positive Phase I and Phase II clinical data for its flu vaccines. These prototype seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines were also demonstrated to have superior potency in elderly subjects. For more information about VaxInnate, please visit http://www.vaxinnate.com.