Innovation for Health

About Jan van de Winkel | President & CEO, Genmab

Jan van de Winkel is President and Chief Executive Officer of Genmab, which he co-founded in February 1999. Genmab is a leading international biotechnology company that specializes in the creation and development of innovative and differentiated antibody therapeutics, with the aim of transforming the lives of people with cancer.

Under Dr. van de Winkel’s leadership, Genmab has achieved many key milestones including;

More than 20 key partnerships to create next-gen therapies,
39 investigational new drug applications for antibodies created by Genmab or with Genmab’s technologies, which have led to more than 20 investigational medicines in clinical development incorporating Genmab’s innovation,
5 approved medicines incorporating Genmab’s innovation, all receiving breakthrough or accelerated approval,
Proprietary and partnered pipeline includes over twenty, first-in-class and best-in-class investigational therapies to tackle a variety of cancers.

Dr. van de Winkel has overseen the creation and development of a number of treatments for cancer and other diseases. Genmab is the creator of the following approved antibodies: TIVDAK™ (tisotumab vedotin-tftv), the first and only approved antibody-drug conjugate in the U.S. for the treatment of advanced cervical cancer and the first therapy Genmab has brought to patients (in partnership with Seagen); DARZALEX® (daratumumab, marketed by Janssen Biotech) a therapy that has redefined treatment of multiple myeloma. It is the first and only subcutaneous monoclonal antibody targeting CD38 approved for treatment of multiple myeloma and the first and only approved treatment for light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. Additional approved antibodies include: Kesimpta® (subcutaneous ofatumumab, marketed by Novartis), the first B-cell therapy that can be self-administered by patients at home; TEPEZZA® (teprotumumab, under agreement with Roche granting sublicense to Horizon Therapeutics) the first and only FDA-approved medicine for the treatment of thyroid eye disease; and RYBREVANT (amivantamab-vmjw, marketed by Janssen Biotech), the first fully-human bispecific antibody approved in the U.S. for lung cancer, created using Genmab’s DuoBody® technology.

Genmab also has a broad clinical and pre-clinical product pipeline. Genmab's technology base consists of validated and proprietary next generation antibody technologies - the DuoBody® platform for generation of bispecific antibodies, the HexaBody® platform, which creates effector function enhanced antibodies, the HexElect® platform, which combines two co-dependently acting HexaBody molecules to introduce selectivity while maximizing therapeutic potency and the DuoHexaBody® platform, which enhances the potential potency of bispecific antibodies through hexamerization. The company intends to leverage these technologies to create opportunities for full or co-ownership of future products. Genmab has alliances with top-tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as research institutions, technology and data science organizations.

Dr. van de Winkel has over 30 years of experience in the therapeutic antibody field and served as Vice President and Scientific Director of Medarex Europe prior to Genmab. He is the author of over 300 scientific publications and has been responsible for over 180 patents and patent applications. Dr. van de Winkel holds a Professorship in Immunotherapy at Utrecht University. He is chairman of the board of directors of Hookipa Pharma, and a member of the board of directors of LEO Pharma and Omega Alpha SPAC.