Gilde Healthcare establishes world-leading Impact Council

• Seasoned experts from world-renowned institutes join Gilde Healthcare in its mission to invest in companies that provide better care at lower cost

UTRECHT, Netherlands, Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gilde Healthcare, the specialized healthcare investor with €2 billion raised in dedicated sector funds, today announced the establishment of the Gilde Healthcare Impact Council. Chaired by Professor Guido Rasi, former Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Impact Council will play a pivotal role in assessing the impact on the healthcare system by Gilde Healthcare and its Venture&Growth portfolio companies.

In addition to Professor Rasi, the Impact Council will consist of the following internationally recognized experts who collectively represent key stakeholders in the healthcare sector, including patients, healthcare professionals, regulatory bodies, industry, health technology assessment bodies and the payer community:

• Professor Carole Longson, former Executive Director of NICE, former Chief Scientific Officer of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and current Vice Chair of the Medicines Discovery Catapult;
• Dr. Christina Åkerman, former President of ICHOM and former Director General of the Medical Products Agency in Sweden;
• Dr. Brian O'Rourke, former President and Chief Executive Officer of CADTH and President-elect of ISPOR;
• Mr. David Haerry, former co-Chair of EMA's patient and consumer working party, Executive Committee member at Patient Focused Medicines Development, Advisory Committee Chair at EUPATI and Partner at Patvocates;
• Dr. Dan Ollendorf, Director of Value Measurement & Global Health Initiatives and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, former Chief Scientific Officer of ICER;  
• Mr. Kim Caldwell, RPh, former Vice-President of Humana's Pharmacy Policy and Comprehensive Health Insights Research units and former Division Director in the CMS Medicare Drug Benefit Group; and
• Dr. Michael Jaff, inaugural recipient of the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Endowed Chair in Vascular Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (retired) and former President of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham Health System.

Professor Guido Rasi, Chair of Gilde Healthcare's Impact Council commented: "I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with Gilde and the other members of the Impact Council to contribute to making innovation more relevant and accessible to patients. Better care at lower cost is a condition for a sustainable healthcare ecosystem, and with Gilde Healthcare's pioneering investment strategy, we are well-positioned to generate meaningful impact in this regard."

Joep Muijrers, General Partner at Gilde Healthcare and responsible within Gilde Healthcare for coordinating the Impact Council, commented: "We are honoured to be working with such an established and experienced group of experts. Not only will the Impact Council's collective experience and insights be of tremendous added value to our team, we will also be leveraging its expertise to actively support our portfolio companies in their R&D and commercialization efforts. As such, we continue to expand on our investment strategy which centers on generating superior returns by backing companies that can provide better care at lower cost."

Pieter van der Meer, Managing Partner at Gilde Healthcare commented: "The Impact Council demonstrates our commitment to effectuate change in the healthcare sector. Healthcare related cost already amounted to over one trillion euros in the European Union in 2020, is exceeding 20% of GDP in the US, and keeps on growing. Six out of ten American adults are suffering from a chronic disease. The society at large is in need of affordable solutions. By investing in companies enabling better care at lower cost, we aim to contribute to a paradigm shift."

About Gilde Healthcare

Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor managing €2 billion across two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The firm operates out of offices in Utrecht (The Netherlands), Frankfurt (Germany) and Cambridge (United States). Gilde Healthcare Venture&Growth invests in fast growing, innovative companies active in (bio)pharmaceuticals, healthtech and medtech that are based in Europe and North America. For more information, please visit www.gildehealthcare.com.