Adverum Biotechnologies Appoints C. David Nicholson, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADVM), a clinical-stage company that aims to establish gene therapy as a new standard of care for highly prevalent ocular diseases, today announced the appointment of C. David Nicholson, Ph.D., as an independent member of its Board of Directors, effective November 3, 2023. Dr. Nicholson brings over forty years of pharmaceutical experience, a proven track record in drug development, and deep experience in ophthalmology, most recently as chief research and development officer at Allergan.

"We are excited to welcome David to Adverum’s Board of Directors. He brings an exceptional breadth of experience and a track record of success in pharmaceutical R&D and has launched multiple transformative products throughout his career, notably in ophthalmology," stated Patrick Machado, J.D., board chair of Adverum Biotechnologies. "David’s appointment reflects our commitment to excellence in clinical and preclinical development, including of our lead product candidate, Ixo-vec, which is currently being evaluated in the ongoing Phase 2 LUNA trial of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD)."

“On behalf of the management team at Adverum, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to David,” added Laurent Fischer, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Adverum. “David’s long and varied career in pharmaceutical R&D includes the development of innovative treatment modalities across multiple therapeutic areas, such as ophthalmology (Xen Gel Stent, Durysta), depression (Remeron), schizophrenia (Saphris, Vraylar), and oncology (Keytruda), among others. His experience shepherding therapeutics from concept through commercialization, together with his deep ophthalmology expertise, will be invaluable as we advance Ixo-vec through pivotal studies and ultimately commercialization.”

“I am delighted to join Adverum’s board and to help Adverum bring wet AMD patients a transformational gene therapy option that has the potential to improve upon real-world outcomes of anti-VEGF therapy with a single, intravitreal injection,” stated Dr. Nicholson. “This is an exciting time for the company as it looks forward to releasing data from its ongoing Phase 2 LUNA trial and moving Ixo-vec into registrational trials.”