THE WOODLANDS, Texas,
Nov. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), today
announced the appointments of Alexander
Santini as chief commercial officer, Kiernan Seth, Ph.D. as vice president of
marketing, and Gary Branch as vice
president of sales. Mr. Santini will have responsibility for
all commercial activities in the United
States for telotristat ethyl, an investigational oral
drug for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome, with Dr. Seth and Mr.
Branch reporting directly to him.
"We are pleased to have the core members of the commercial
leadership team in place leading into the potential
commercialization of telotristat ethyl," said Lexicon president and
chief executive officer, Lonnel
Coats. "Each member of this unique team brings a
tremendous level of expertise that will be crucial in ensuring that
telotristat ethyl, if approved, is immediately accessible for
patients suffering from carcinoid syndrome."
With over 30 years of varied health care experience, Mr. Santini
has demonstrated the ability to build, lead and motivate cross
functional teams responsible for driving successful product
launches and customer service improvements, while building
strategic partnerships with key decision makers. Mr. Santini
joined Lexicon in April 2015 and was
previously responsible for developing the market access and channel
management strategy for telotristat ethyl. Prior to joining
Lexicon, Mr. Santini served as executive member and vice president
of market access for the Bayer U.S. Pharmaceutical organization
where he had executive responsibility for market access, pricing,
trade and channel management, and payer account management for the
entire Bayer U.S. drug portfolio. Prior to Bayer
Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Santini held executive leadership roles of
increasing responsibility at Berlex Laboratories. Prior to
embarking on his career in the pharmaceutical industry, Mr. Santini
served as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, where
he completed the Radiologic Technology Program at the U.S. Air
Force School of Health Care Science and an AAS degree in Business
Marketing from Westchester Community
College in Valhalla, New
York. During his tour of duty Alex was awarded the
Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Secretary of Defense for
exemplary outstanding performance of duties in support of the 1980
XIII Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid,
New York.
Dr. Seth joined Lexicon in November
2014 as executive director of oncology marketing. As
vice president of marketing, he will be responsible for leading the
marketing efforts for telotristat ethyl while ensuring Lexicon's
commercial readiness. Dr. Seth brings to Lexicon more than 20
years of experience, most recently at Eisai, Inc. where he served
as executive director of Eisai value maximization systems and head
of the oncology business unit. Before joining Eisai, Dr. Seth
served in a series of marketing roles with Bristol-Myers Squibb,
Pfizer and Schering-Plough involving products in oncology,
cardiovascular and metabolic disease, immunology and central
nervous system disorders. He received his Ph.D. from
Meharry Medical College and MBA from
St. Joseph's University and completed a
Post Doctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical
School.
Mr. Branch joined Lexicon in March
2016 with the responsibility of leading the sales effort for
telotristat ethyl and building the sales function, including the
sales team, sales operations, and sales training. He has over
24 years of commercial experience in the pharmaceutical industry
with a deep breadth of experiences in both oncology and general
pharmaceuticals including key roles as vice president of sales at
GlaxoSmithKline Oncology, vice president of sales at Novartis
Canada, and global brand director at Novartis Oncology. Prior
to embarking on his career in the pharmaceutical industry, Gary
served with distinction as captain in the U.S. Army, where he was
awarded and recognized for performance in combat during Operations
Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Gary has a BS degree in General
Engineering from the United States Military
Academy in West Point, NY,
and an MBA from the University of
Michigan Business School in Ann
Arbor, MI.
"I am very excited to be leading the commercial team at this
crucial juncture, and look forward to making telotristat ethyl
commercially available to carcinoid syndrome patients following
regulatory approval," said Mr. Santini. "I look forward to
working with the executive team to achieve our vision of developing
and commercializing innovative medications to address the needs of
patients, physicians, and payers."
About Carcinoid Syndrome
Carcinoid syndrome is a rare disease affecting thousands of
cancer patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (mNETs) that
have spread to the liver and other organs from the gastrointestinal
tract. The condition is characterized by frequent and debilitating
diarrhea that often prevents patients from leading active,
predictable lives, as well as by facial flushing, abdominal pain,
fatigue and, over time, heart valve damage.
About Telotristat Ethyl
Discovered using Lexicon's unique approach to gene science,
telotristat ethyl is the first investigational drug in clinical
studies to target tryptophan hydroxylase, an enzyme that triggers
the excess serotonin production within mNET cells that is a key
driver of carcinoid syndrome. While existing treatments for
carcinoid syndrome work to reduce the release of serotonin outside
tumor cells, telotristat ethyl works at the source to reduce
serotonin production within the tumor cells. By specifically
inhibiting serotonin production, telotristat ethyl seeks to control
this important driver of carcinoid syndrome and, in combination
with SSA therapy, the current standard of care, to provide patients
with more control over their disease.
Telotristat ethyl has received Fast Track and Orphan Drug
designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been
granted priority review by the FDA with a Prescription Drug User
Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of February 28, 2017.
Lexicon retains rights to market telotristat ethyl in the U.S.
and Japan, and is building the
in-house commercial infrastructure to serve the U.S. market.
Lexicon has a license and collaboration agreement with Ipsen to
commercialize telotristat ethyl in Europe and other countries outside the U.S.
and Japan.
About Lexicon
Lexicon is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company that is
applying a unique approach to gene science based on Nobel
Prize-winning technology to discover and develop precise medicines
for patients with serious, chronic conditions. Through its
Genome5000™ program, Lexicon scientists have studied the role and
function of nearly 5,000 genes over the last 20 years and have
identified more than 100 protein targets with significant
therapeutic potential in a range of diseases. Through the precise
targeting of these proteins, Lexicon is pioneering the discovery
and development of innovative medicines to safely and effectively
treat disease. Lexicon has a pipeline of promising drug candidates
in clinical and pre-clinical development in oncology, diabetes and
metabolism. For additional information please visit
www.lexpharma.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements,"
including statements relating to Lexicon's clinical development of
telotristat ethyl (formerly referred to as telotristat etiprate and
LX1032) and the results of and projected timing of clinical trials
and the potential therapeutic and commercial potential of
telotristat ethyl. In addition, this press release also
contains forward-looking statements relating to Lexicon's growth
and future operating results, discovery and development of
products, strategic alliances and intellectual property, as well as
other matters that are not historical facts or information.
All forward-looking statements are based on management's
current assumptions and expectations and involve risks,
uncertainties and other important factors, specifically including
the risk that clinical studies of telotristat ethyl may be halted,
delayed or otherwise not demonstrate safety or efficacy, the risk
that the FDA and other regulatory authorities may not grant
regulatory approval of telotristat ethyl in accordance with
Lexicon's currently anticipated timelines or at all, and the risk
that such regulatory approvals, if granted, may have significant
limitations on the approved use of telotristat ethyl. As a
result, telotristat ethyl may never be successfully
commercialized. Other risks include Lexicon's ability to meet
its capital requirements, successfully conduct preclinical
and clinical development and obtain necessary regulatory
approvals of its other potential drug candidates, achieve its
operational objectives, obtain patent protection for its
discoveries and establish strategic alliances, as well as
additional factors relating to manufacturing, intellectual property
rights, and the therapeutic or commercial value of its drug
candidates. Any of these risks, uncertainties and other
factors may cause Lexicon's actual results to be materially
different from any future results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Information identifying such
important factors is contained under "Risk Factors" in Lexicon's
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. Lexicon undertakes no obligation to
update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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SOURCE Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.