SYDNEY, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kazia Therapeutics
Limited (NASDAQ: KZIA; ASX: KZA), an oncology-focused drug
development company, is pleased to announce the appointment of
John Friend, MD, as Chief Medical
Officer.
In this role, Dr. Friend will be responsible for overseeing the
development and commercialization of Kazia's pipeline drug
candidates, and for collaborating with clinicians and scientists to
advance the company's research programs. Dr. Friend is based in
New Jersey in the United States.
Kazia CEO, Dr. James Garner,
commented, "We are delighted to welcome John to the Kazia team.
With paxalisib moving rapidly towards potential commercialization,
and EVT801 now in the clinic, this appointment is very timely. John
is a highly experienced oncology and haematology drug developer who
brings to Kazia a wealth of expertise, as well as a passion for
improving the lives of patients with cancer."
Dr. Friend gained his medical degree at Rutgers University (UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson) and
also holds a BA in chemistry from Southern
Methodist University. In a career spanning more than 25
years, he has worked across a wide range of therapeutic areas in
roles spanning early clinical research through to medical affairs.
Of note, he spent seven years with the US business unit of Helsinn
Therapeutics, a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company,
leaving as Senior Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs.
Prior to joining Kazia, he was Chief Medical Officer at Cellectar
Biosciences, Inc (NASDAQ: CLRB), a clinical-stage, oncology-focused
biotech company based in Florham Park,
NJ.
Dr. Friend commented, "I look forward to working with Kazia
colleagues to drive the company's pipeline forward toward its full
potential. Both paxalisib and EVT801 have enormous scope to
address unmet needs in a number of different tumor types and I am
pleased to be working with world-renowned cancer centers and their
leading clinicians to develop these promising new therapies. I am
delighted to join Kazia at such an exciting and pivotal time for
the company."
About Kazia Therapeutics Limited
Kazia Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ: KZIA; ASX: KZA) is an
oncology-focused drug development company, based in Sydney, Australia.
Our lead program is paxalisib, a brain-penetrant inhibitor of
the PI3K / Akt / mTOR pathway, which is being developed to treat
glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive form of primary
brain cancer in adults. Licensed from Genentech in late 2016,
paxalisib commenced recruitment to GBM AGILE, a pivotal study in
glioblastoma, in January 2021. Eight
additional studies are active in various forms of brain cancer.
Paxalisib was granted Orphan Drug Designation for glioblastoma by
the US FDA in February 2018, and Fast
Track Designation for glioblastoma by the US FDA in August 2020. In addition, paxalisib was granted
Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Orphan Designation by the US
FDA for DIPG in August 2020.
Kazia is also developing EVT801, a small-molecule inhibitor of
VEGFR3, which was licensed from Evotec SE in April 2021. Preclinical data has shown EVT801 to
be active against a broad range of tumour types and has provided
compelling evidence of synergy with immuno-oncology agents. A phase
I study commenced recruitment in November
2021.
For more information, please visit www.kaziatherapeutics.com or
follow us on Twitter @KaziaTx.
This document was authorized for release to the ASX by
James Garner, Chief Executive
Officer, Managing Director.
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SOURCE Kazia Therapeutics Limited