DIEPENBEEK, Belgium, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Amakem NV, a kinase platform company focusing on ophthalmology, today announces the appointment of Maarten van Geffen as Head of CMC and Operations. Mr. van Geffen brings an exceptional track record in international management experience in pharmaceutical development to Amakem.

Mr. Maarten van Geffen's career in the industry spans nearly 25 years, with substantial experience in pharmaceutical product development and regulatory affairs. Maarten was previously Director of Product Development at Shire-Movetis NV, where he was responsible for the pharmaceutical development of the GI early and late phase products and was the CMC lead for due diligence of early phase and late phase small and large molecule products. While at the Company, Maarten also played a pivotal role in the strategic development of commercial and pipeline products as well as carrying out quality control on dossiers and interacting with regulatory authorities.

Prior to working at Shire-Movetis NV, Mr. van Geffen held several positions as Director of CMC Regulatory Affairs at Barrier Therapeutic NV, Centocor BV, and Janssen Research Foundation, where he was involved in managing and executing product development and regulatory approval. Before initiating his career in the industry Mr. Van Geffen was assessor of quality part pharmaceutical dossiers for the Dutch Health and Environmental agency.

Mr. van Geffen, Head of Operations at Amakem, said: "I am very excited to be joining Amakem and to have the opportunity to apply the experience I have gained as the Company continues its development of AMA0076 for glaucoma and builds its pipeline."

Mr. van Geffen received an MSc in Biology from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. He has also authored a number of publications on various topics.

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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 the Company is 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, 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.

SOURCE Amakem