Francois Martelet, former president and chief executive officer of Avax Technologies Inc, has been appointed chief executive officer of TopoTarget A/S with a remit to oversee the development and commercialisation of belinostat, the Danish company’s lead cancer drug. Dr Martelet, who holds a doctorate in medicine and a master’s degree in business, succeeds Peter Buhl Jensen, a founder of the company. Professor Buhl Jensen will act as a consultant to TopoTarget for six months following his departure as CEO.
Prior to joining Avax Technologies, Dr Martelet was vice president and worldwide head of oncology at Merck & Co where he gained knowledge of the HDAC (histone deacetylase inhibitor) class of cancer drugs. TopoTarget’s lead product, belinostat, which was recently partnered with Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc, is an HDAC inhibitor.
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