Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada (June 7, 2016) – Zymeworks Inc., a leader in the development of bi-specific and multi-specific antibodies, announced today that it was honored as the Biotech Company of the Year by BIOTECanada at this year’s BIO International Convention in San Francisco. The company was recognized for its strong overall performance, demonstrated leadership and significant progress with its breakthrough Azymetric™ biotherapeutics platform that has generated a strong and diverse pipeline in the areas of cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
BIOTECanada, Canada’s national biotechnology industry association, annually presents the Gold Leaf Awards to companies and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary innovation and entrepreneurship within the country’s biotech industry across all industry categories including health, agriculture, industrial and environmental biotechnology.
“BIOTECanada is pleased to present a Gold Leaf Award to Zymeworks for the second year in a row, first as an emerging company and now as the biotech company of the year,” commented Andrew Casey, President and CEO, BIOTECanada. “It is fantastic to watch and now celebrate Zymeworks’ transformation over the past year as they have continued to forge industry-leading partnerships, fueled growth through a strategic acquisition and worked to advance their lead compounds into clinical trials. Zymeworks’ President and CEO, Ali Tehrani, and his Vancouver-based team deserve our sincere congratulations for their successes and bright future as an exciting and world-leading Canadian biotech company.”
“We are honoured to accept this year’s Gold Leaf Award from BIOTECanada, said Dr. Tehrani. “This past year had been one of tremendous growth for us as a company and advancement for our leading drug candidates. In 2015, we signed new licensing and collaboration deals with GlaxoSmithKline and Celgene, acquired BC-based Kairos Therapeutics and completed a CA$86M (US$61.5M) mezzanine financing to support the development of our Azymetric™ therapeutics pipeline. Being recognized as the Biotech Company of the Year is a symbol of our trajectory as a rapidly growing biotech company, the milestones that we achieved in 2015 and the continued dedication of our entire Zymeworks team, shareholders and board of directors. We are proud to stand as a leader in the Canadian biotech industry and, at the same time, humbled to be recognized by BIOTECanada and our peers in this way.”
The Gold Leaf Awards recognize biotechnology excellence. In addition to Biotech Company of the Year, BIOTECanada awards Gold Leaf Awards in the following categories: Visionary Leadership, Emerging Company, Community Leadership and Emerging Leader in Biotechnology Research.
About Zymeworks Inc.
Zymeworks is a privately held biotherapeutics company that is developing best-in-class Azymetric™ bi-specific antibodies and antibody drug conjugates for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company’s novel Azymetric™, AlbuCORE™, and EFECT™ platforms, its Zymelink™ conjugation platform and cytotoxins, and its proprietary ZymeCAD™ structure-guided protein engineering technology, enable the development of highly potent bi-specific antibodies, multivalent protein therapeutics, and antibody drug conjugates across a range of indications. Zymeworks is focused on accelerating its preclinical biotherapeutics pipeline through in-house research and development programs and strategic collaborations.
About BIOTECanada
BIOTECanada is the national industry association with more than 200 members located nationwide, reflecting the diverse nature of Canada’s health, industrial and agricultural biotechnology sectors. In addition to providing significant health benefits for Canadians, the biotechnology industry has quickly become an essential part of the transformation of many traditional cornerstones of the Canadian economy including manufacturing, automotive, energy, aerospace and forestry industries.
BIOTECanada Contact:
Nadine Lunt
6133-230-5585 x257
Zymeworks Contact:
Media Inquiries
Michael Lampe
(484) 575-5040
michael@scientpr.com
Investor Inquiries
Stephanie Carrington
ICR Inc.
(646)277-1282
stephanie.carrington@icrinc.com
Zymeworks Inc.
David Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Director, External R&D and Alliances
(604) 678-1388
bd@zymeworks.com