SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vaxart, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing oral recombinant vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, announced today the appointment of Samir Singh as senior vice president, corporate development and strategy.
Singh brings more than 20 years of business development, finance, product development, investor relations and corporate communications experience in the biotechnology industry. He will be responsible for business development and corporate strategy, and will also be heavily involved in fundraising activities at Vaxart.
“Samir has a comprehensive track record of building biotech companies through business development, financing and operational contributions,” said Vaxart chief executive officer (CEO) Wouter Latour, M.D. “Combined with his background in science, he will be a great asset to help build Vaxart as we advance our tablet vaccines for RSV and norovirus into the clinic and prepare to conduct a phase 2 challenge study with our tablet flu vaccine.”
“Vaxart’s oral vaccine platform represents a significant paradigm shift for vaccines,” said Singh. “In particular, using convenient tablets instead of injections to vaccinate at risk populations for indications such as RSV, norovirus and flu could have an enormous public health impact and dramatically change how vaccines are distributed and administered. I look forward to working with the Vaxart team, investors and industry colleagues to realize the full potential of tablet vaccines for communities across the globe.”
Most recently, Singh was a business development consultant at venture-backed Principia Biopharma. Previously at Pharming Group NV, he held senior business development roles and was responsible for the company’s U.S. operations, including fundraising, investor and public relations, clinical development, research and development, manufacturing and government relations. Prior to Pharming, Singh held management and consulting positions at various biotechnology companies, including at Hyseq Inc. (previously Nuvelo Inc., now ARCA biopharma, Inc.), Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., and Millipore Corporation.
Singh received his B.A. from Williams College, M.S. from Stanford University and M.B.A. from New York University Stern School of Business, LSE and HEC Paris. He also served on the research staff of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University focusing on tuberculosis research and the Arthritis Unit at Harvard Medical School.
About Vaxart
Vaxart is a clinical-stage company developing tablet vaccines based on its proprietary oral vaccine platform. The lead programs are oral vaccines for seasonal influenza, RSV and Norovirus. Vaxart vaccines are administered using convenient room temperature-stable tablets that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration, are easy to administer, eliminate risk of needle-stick injury and medical waste associated with injectable vaccines. For more information, please visit www.vaxart.com.