Vision

“We are enhancing quality of life by providing ground-breaking therapies.”

Leadership

TOPADUR Pharma AG is built on a Leadership Team.

Pascal Brenneisen

Chief Executive Officer | Delegate of the Board of Directors

Pascal Brenneisen, Entrepreneur & Chief Executive Officer of TOPADUR Pharma AG has over 30 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical & life science industry. Co-Founder & Board Member of several startup-companies, Pascal holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Basel and accomplished several Executive Educations at Harvard, Stanford and IMD.

Dr. Hermann Tenor

Chief Scientific Officer

Hermann Tenor is the Chief Scientific Officer and accumulated 24 years of industrial drug discovery and development experience. He was involved in the non-clinical characterization of a first-in-class marketed product. He is co-author on 50 scientific publications. Dr. Tenor holds an MD from the Martin-Luther University Halle Wittenberg.

Dr. Christian Ludin

Chief Development Officer | Head of Legal

Christian Ludin has more than 20 years of experience in preclinical and clinical drug development. Dr. Ludin is an author and co-inventor of 13 patents and 15 publications and made significant contributions to the development of several preclinical and clinical candidates. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Freiburg i. Breisgau and an LLM in Law from the Faculty of Law at the University of Zurich.

Board of Directors

Dr. Reto Naef

Chair since 2015

  • Prime Force consultant for scientific affairs, Novartis.
    February 2015 – Now
  • CEO & Founder TOPADUR Pharma.
    2015 – 2023
  • Head Research Operations Switzerland, Novartis.
    January 2004 – February 2010

Prof. Dr. Günther Wess

Member since 2015

  • Chairman, Aventis Foundation.
  • Former Director of the Helmholtz Center in Munich till 2018.
  • Cardiovascular diseases, Diabetes and Oncology, Former Europe Head Research Höchst, Aventis.

Dr. Dominik Escher

Member since 2018

  • Chairman, CDR-Life.
    January 2017 - Now
  • Managing Partner Pureos Bioventures.
    2017 - Now
  • CEO & Founder,  ESBATech. 
    September 1998 - 2016

Silvia Scherer

Member since 2020

  • CEO, Hairstetics.
    2016 – Now
  • CEO, Medaesthetis.
    January 2014 – Now
  • Managing Director & General Manager, Anteis.
    2003 – 2013

Dr. Daniel L. Vasella

Member since 2020

  • Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors, Novartis.
    2013 - Now
  • Chairman of the Board, Novartis.
    April 1999 – February 2013
  • CEO, Novartis.
    May 1996 – February 2010

Dr. Christian Ludin

Secretary of the Board

  • Head of Development & Legal TOPADUR Pharma.
    February 2019 – Now
  • Head of IP & Contracts, Polyphor Ltd.
    January 2002 – February 2018
  • Group Leader, DSM.
    September 1996 – January 2002

History

TOPADUR Pharma AG was founded in 2015 by R&D experts with significant experience in pharmaceutical industry.

2024

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

2023

January

February

March

April

Pascal Brenneisen: new Chief Executive Officer

May

June

July

August

September

TOP 100 Scale-ups

October

Innosuisse grant awarded

November

December

  • Transnational project launch with South Korea
  • Start-up Innovation Project funding from Innosuisse received
2022

January

February

March

  • The European Patent Office granted a patent covering TOP-N53 used for the treatment of chronic wounds.

April

  • Innosuisse grant awarded

May

  • Innosuisse grant awarded

June

July

August

September

TOP 100 Scale-ups

October

November

December

2021

January

  • Innosuisse grant awarded

February

March

April

May

June

July

  • Submission to EMA of Orphan Drug Designation application for TOP-N53
  • Completion of TOP-N53 First-in-Man Study

August

September

October

  • Positive results from TOP-N53 FIH study
  • EMA granted TOP-N53 ODD for the treatment of Digital ulcers in Systemic sclerosis

November

December

2020

January

February

March

April

May

  • Filing of fourth patent

June

July

  • Dr. Daniel Vasella: new Board Member

August

September

  • Dosing of First Healthy Subjects in Phase 1 Clinical Study of TOP-N53
  • Top100 Swiss Startups

October

November

December

2019

January

February

March

  • Filing of third patent

April

May

  • Innosuisse grant awarded

June

July

August

September

  • Winner of the 6th Dong Sheng Entrepreneurs Cup in Beijing, China
  • Top100 Swiss Startups

October

November

  • Winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award

December

2018

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

  • Winner Swiss Innovation Challenge

September

  • Successful Series B Financial Round
  • Top100 Swiss Startups 2018

October

  • Innosuisse grant awarded

November

  • Winner of the prestigious Swiss Economic Award

December

2017

January

  • CTI grant awarded

February

March

April

  • Filing of second patent

May

June

July

August

September

  • Top100 Swiss Startups

October

November

December

2016

January

  • EUROSTARS grant awarded

February

March

  • CTI grant awarded

April

  • Successful Series A Financial Round

May

June

  • CTI Certification

July

August

  • Winner Venture Leaders Life Science

September

  • Top 100 Swiss Startups

October

November

December

  • Winner IMD Startup
2015

January

February

March

  • Foundation Topadur Pharma AG

April

  • Technical Closing Seed funding

May

June

  • Co-Winner Pitching Battle CEO day

July

  • Coaching Acceptance granted by CTI Committee

August

September

October

November

  • Filing of first patent for TOP-N53

December

  • Headquarters / Labs established in Schlieren, Switzerland
  • Finalist Swiss Innovation Challenge
2009-2015

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Experimental research phase

2009

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

  • Foundation TOPADUR GmbH

National & International collaborators