Robert K. Zeldin joins Ablynx this week as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), replacing Dr Dominique Tersago.
Effective from 1 December, Dr Zeldin will lead the company's global clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs activities. He brings significant industry experience to the company, having held senior level clinical development positions at pharmaceutical companies, including Merck & Co and Novartis.
In his previous roles, Dr Zeldin headed teams in immunology, respiratory, dermatology and cardiovascular disease where he was responsible for clinical development through to commercialisation and life cycle management. He also successfully engaged key stakeholders including the scientific community, payers, patient advocacy groups and key opinion leaders.
Prior to his move into the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Zeldin spent several years in private practice and two years as a Medical Officer at the FDA's Centre for Biologics Evaluation and Research. There he evaluated safety and efficacy data from all phases of clinical development.
Welcoming Dr Zeldin to the team, Dr Edwin Moses, CEO of Ablynx, said: 'We are very pleased that someone with Robert's track record and experience is joining Ablynx as Chief Medical Officer. Partly based in the US, he will be invaluable in supporting our global clinical development activities as well as our interactions with the regulatory agencies and other key stakeholders. His extensive industry experience, including his contribution in obtaining regulatory approval of innovative immunotherapies, will be very important in supporting Ablynx in the development of Nanobody-based therapeutics to address areas of high unmet need.'