Starpharma names new business development VP

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has chosen former CSL (ASX:CSL) senior director Dr Tony Eglezos to become the company’s second VP of business development.

Dr Eglezos will join the company next month and will work alongside the existing VP of business development Dr Paul Barrett.

Dr Eglezos has had a career in the pharmaceutical sector spanning over 20 years. His most recent roles include senior director of business development and licensing at CSL, followed by a similar position at the rebranded bioCSL.

Eglezos has also worked at companies including Amgen, Abbott Labs and Abbott Australia. He has a PhD in immunology from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from UTS.

“Tony joins us at an important time and will provide valuable additional resource and commercial expertise as VivaGel enters the final stage of development in bacterial vaginosis, with discussions underway with a number of interested parties,” said Starpharma CEO Dr Jackie Fairley.

Starpharma had been planning to pursue US FDA approval for VivaGel as a cure for bacterial vaginosis, but a phase III trial which concluded last year failed to reach its primary end point. The company will instead seek approval for the prevention of bacterial vaginosis recurrence.

VivaGel is also under development as a vaginal microbicide to prevent the transmission of STIs including HIV and genital herpes, and the technology has been licensed to Ansell and Okamoto for two lines of VivaGel-coated condoms.

Starpharma shares were trading 1.58% lower at $0.935 as of around 12.30 pm on Wednesday.