Santhera names Kristina Timdahl CMO and head of development

Swiss drugmaker Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) has appointed Kristina Timdahl as chief medical officer and head of development and a member of the executive management with effect from January 1, 2017.

Kristina Timdahl will replace Nick Coppard, who will retire in January 2017. As head of development for over eight years, Mr Coppard was instrumental in the successful development of Santhera's lead drug Raxone (idebenone) in multiple indications.

Dr Timdahl joins Santhera as a biopharmaceutical executive with 18 years experience in drug development across multiple therapeutic areas, including orphan diseases. She has worked in clinical development roles at Wyeth, AstraZeneca and Biovitrum and currently serves as vice president and head of clinical development at Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), where she is leading the clinical development of all programs from first in man through commercialization to full life cycle management.