DIEPENBEEK, Belgium, June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Amakem NV, a clinical stage ophthalmology company, today announces that it has appointed Dr. Kieran Rooney as Vice President, Business Development.

Dr. Rooney brings to Amakem over 25 years of experience in the biotech and pharma industries and a proven track record in business development, commercial management and strategic consulting. As Founder and Managing Director of Halo BioConsulting, Dr. Rooney has worked extensively in the ophthalmology space, supporting companies in both Europe and the US on transactions and commercial strategy.

Dr. Rooney was previously a Consultant to the UK Government, focusing on the provision of commercial consulting, business development and global deal-making services to UK-based life sciences companies. Prior to his work for the UK Government, Dr. Rooney held Business Development Director roles at companies including Smith & Nephew PLC, F2G Limited, Pharsight Corporation, and MDS Pharma Services.

Dr. Jack Elands, CEO of Amakem, said: "It is a great pleasure to welcome Kieran to our management team at Amakem. He has been involved in multiple deals in the ophthalmology area and his broad-ranging experience in business development will be invaluable as we continue to deliver value from our unique kinase technology platform in ophthalmology. Our lead asset, AMA0076, is progressing through clinical development and we look forward to announcing top line results of our Phase 2a study in glaucoma later this year."

Dr. Rooney holds a BSc in Pharmacy from University of Sunderland, UK and a PhD in Neuropharmacology from University of Wales, Cardiff, UK.

About Amakem

Amakem is an ophthalmology company developing new treatments for serious eye conditions. Amakem's product pipeline is based on its unique Localized Drug Action platform which is designed to generate safe and effective novel kinase inhibitors that minimize

systemic exposure with the aim of reducing side effects. Amakem's lead candidate, AMA0076, is for glaucoma and entered Phase 2a development late last year. The Company is also working to apply the Localized Drug Action approach to a range of other eye diseases.

Founded in 2010, Amakem has raised more than €21m in funding and is backed by leading life sciences investors including Forbion, Omnes Capital (previously Crédit Agricole), Vesalius BioCapital, LRM, PMV/Vinnof and Life Science Research Partners.

Amakem is based in Belgium and located in the life sciences incubator "BioVille" at the University of Hasselt. The Company has a long-standing collaboration with the Ophthalmology Research Center of the University Leuven Hospital, where it sponsors a Chair in Ophthalmology Translational Research.

For more information, please contact
AmakemNV
Jack Elands, CEO
jack.elands@amakem.com
+32(0)474-828-580


Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Gardner/Nina Enegren
chris.gardner@citigatedr.co.uk
nina.enegren@citigatedr.co.uk
+44(0)20-7638-9571

SOURCE Amakem