SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
May 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rigel
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that it has
appointed Alison L. Hannah,
M.D. to its Board of Directors. Dr. Hannah brings over three
decades of pharmaceutical industry experience to Rigel, including a
deep knowledge of clinical development strategy in hematology and
oncology with a focus on molecularly targeted therapies.
"We are delighted to have Alison join our Board," said
Raul Rodriguez, Rigel's president
and CEO. "With her extensive expertise in areas of key focus for
Rigel, including clinical development strategy and successful
regulatory filings, she will provide valuable insights to our Board
as we continue to advance and expand our hematology, immunology,
and oncology programs."
Alison L. Hannah, M.D. currently
serves as Chief Medical Officer for CytomX Therapeutics, a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing conditionally
activated therapies to treat cancer. Prior to joining CytomX,
Dr. Hannah served as a consultant to nearly 30 pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies directing the development of
investigational cancer therapies. In this capacity, Dr. Hannah has
successfully filed over 40 regulatory applications for
First-in-Human clinical testing and has played significant roles in
the broad marketing approval of multiple anticancer therapeutics
(including talazoparib, enzalutamide, defibrotide, carfilzomib, as
well as tyrosine kinase inhibitors sunitinib and toceranib),
including extensive experience interacting with global health and
regulatory authorities. Earlier in her career, Dr. Hannah held the
role of Senior Medical Director at SUGEN, Inc. (acquired by
Pharmacia & Upjohn, now Pfizer) where she had oversight of
clinical development, clinical operations, and pharmacovigilance,
specializing in the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors,
including sunitinib (SUTENT) approved for the treatment of kidney
cancer and imatinib-refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Dr.
Hannah began her career at Quintiles, a global contract research
organization, where she specialized in overseeing early to
registrational-stage oncology clinical trials. Dr. Hannah currently
serves on the board of NeoGenomics, a publicly traded cancer
diagnostic company. Dr. Hannah received her B.A. in
biochemistry and immunology from Harvard
University and her M.D. from the University of Saint Andrews.
"I have been very impressed by Rigel's scientific approach and
its ability to discover and develop a portfolio of unique therapies
for patients suffering from hematologic diseases, cancer and
autoimmune disorders," said Dr. Hannah. "I'm looking forward to
collaborating with Rigel's management team and other members of its
Board to provide strategic guidance as the company continues to
advance its innovative product candidates through clinical trials
with the goal of delivering them to patients in need."
About Rigel (www.rigel.com)
Rigel Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering,
developing and providing novel small molecule drugs that
significantly improve the lives of patients with hematologic
disorders, cancer and rare immune diseases. Rigel's pioneering
research focuses on signaling pathways that are critical to disease
mechanisms. The company's first FDA approved product is
TAVALISSE® (fostamatinib disodium hexahydrate) tablets,
the only oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor for the
treatment of adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia
who have had an insufficient response to a previous treatment. The
product is also commercially available in Europe (TAVLESSE) and Canada (TAVALISSE) for the treatment of
chronic immune thrombocytopenia in adult patients.
Fostamatinib is currently being studied in a Phase 3 clinical
trial for the treatment of warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia
(wAIHA)1; a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of
hospitalized patients with COVID-191; an
NIH/NHLBI-sponsored Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of
hospitalized patients with COVID-19, in collaboration with Inova
Health System; and a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of
COVID-19 being conducted by Imperial College London.
Rigel's other clinical programs include its interleukin
receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) inhibitor program, and a
receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase (RIP1)
inhibitor program in clinical development with partner Eli Lilly
and Company. In addition, Rigel has product candidates in
development with partners AstraZeneca, BerGenBio ASA, and Daiichi
Sankyo.
Please see www.TAVALISSE.com for full Prescribing
Information.
1The product for this use or indication is
investigational and has not been proven safe or effective by any
regulatory authority.
Rigel Contact:
Jodi Sievers
Phone: +1 (650)624-1232
Email: ir@rigel.com
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SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.