Jean-Yves Guichoux joins the company from Afforce Healthcare and was previously head of clinical research at Yamanouchi Europe.
In June, Crucell started developing a West Nile virus vaccine in what marked a significant departure for the company. This was one of the first vaccines that the company opted to develop and market under its own banner, rather than relying on royalties from partners relating to the use of its PER.C6 cell line for vaccine production.
Indeed, this reflects the prevailing sentiment that technology platform companies should make the transition to in-house product development in order to ensure their long-term success.
Jaap Goudsmit, Crucell's chief scientific officer, claims that "product development is Crucell's focus". He noted that Dr Guichoux is responsible for the Dutch company's product development programmes and will oversee each project from preclinical development, through to clinical trials and subsequent product registration.
Crucell is holding an analyst meeting and webcast on Friday, 21 November. During the meeting, the firm's senior scientific staff and executive management team will present a comprehensive update on the company's product development plans and progress, including the most recent data available on its key vaccine programs.
Visit the company's website to get further information on the meeting.