ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, Nov. 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK), a
global biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing
and commercializing therapies to address global unmet medical needs
primarily for malignancies, today announced that it has appointed
Ms. Marina S. Bozilenko and Dr. Debra
Yu as additional independent non-executive directors of the
company with effect from November 25,
2024.
"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms. Marina S.
Bozilenko and Dr. Debra Yu, who are
joining Ascentage Pharma as independent non-executive directors,"
said Dr. Dajun Yang, Chairman &
CEO of Ascentage Pharma. "Both Ms. Bozilenko and Dr. Yu are
accomplished industry veterans possessing a wealth of experience in
the finance, investment, business development, and strategic
management in the global biopharmaceutical sector. Ascentage Pharma
is currently at a crucial stage of its development where we are
making further strides with our global innovation strategy. We
believe these two distinguished new members of our Board bring with
them the invaluable insights and strategic acumen that will help
propel the company into its next phase of growth."
Ms. Marina S. Bozilenko is currently the President, CEO and a
Director at Biothea Pharma, and an independent director at
Talphera, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLPH). Previously, Ms. Bozilenko served as
a Managing Director of William Blair
& Co. LLC, a Senior Managing Director at Bear, Stearns &
Co., Inc., and as a Managing Director at Banc of America Securities
LLC. Before that, Ms. Bozilenko held various positions at Vector
Securities International, Prudential Vector Healthcare Group, and
Kidd & Co. LLC. Additionally, Ms. Bozilenko served as Directors
at Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OLMA) and SynAct Pharma AB
(Nasdaq Stockholm: SYNACT). Ms. Bozilenko received a bachelor's
degree in biochemistry and master's degree in social science from
the University of Chicago.
Ms. Debra Yu. MD, is currently
the Chief Operating Officer and a partner at Panacea Venture, a
board member at MeiraGTx Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: MGTX), and an
independent non-executive director of JW (Cayman) Therapeutics Co.
Ltd (2126. HK). Previously, she served as the Chief Strategy
Officer and President at LianBio (NASDAQ: LIAN). Prior to that, she
was the Managing Director and head of cross border healthcare
investment banking at China Renaissance Securities (U.S.) and the
Managing Director of Labrador Advisors, LLC, where she advised
numerous cross-border partnerships and licensing transactions.
Earlier, she was the Vice President of Strategy at WuXi AppTec; a
Senior Director and a leader of the venture capital team and the
Worldwide Business Development organization at Pfizer. For many
years, Dr. Yu has been a venture capitalist based in the
San Francisco Bay Area where she
served as a general partner of Delphi Ventures and the Managing
Director of Bay City Capital. Dr. Yu has also held positions at
McKinsey & Co. and Morgan Stanley. Dr. Yu received a bachelor's
degree with high honors in molecular biology from Princeton University and a Doctor of Medicine
degree from Harvard Medical School.
About Ascentage Pharma
Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK) is a global, integrated
biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and
commercializing therapies to address global unmet medical needs
primarily in malignancies. On October 28,
2019, Ascentage Pharma was listed on the Main Board of the
Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code
6855.HK.
The company has built a rich pipeline of innovative drug
candidates that includes novel, highly potent Bcl-2 and dual
Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors, as well as candidates aimed at IAP and
MDM2-p53 pathways, and next-generation TKIs. Ascentage Pharma is
also the only company in the world with active clinical programs
targeting all three known classes of key apoptosis regulators. The
company has conducted more than 40 clinical trials in the US,
Australia, Europe, and China, including 13 registrational studies
(completed/ ongoing/planned).
Olverembatinib, the company's first lead asset developed for the
treatment of drug-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and the
company's first approved product in China, has been granted Priority Review
Designations and Breakthrough Therapy Designations by the Center
for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China National Medical Products
Administration (NMPA). To date, the drug had been included into the
China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). Furthermore,
olverembatinib has been granted Orphan Drug Designations (ODDs) and
a Fast Track Designation (FTD) by the US FDA, and an Orphan
Designation by the EMA of the EU.
To date, Ascentage Pharma has obtained a total of 16 ODDs from
the US FDA and 1 Orphan Designation from the EMA of the EU for 4 of
the company's investigational drug candidates. Leveraging its
robust R&D capabilities, Ascentage Pharma has built a portfolio
of global intellectual property rights and entered into global
partnerships and other relationships with numerous leading
biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Takeda,
AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer and Innovent; and research and
development relationships with leading research institutions such
as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer
Center, National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan.
The company has built a talented team with a wealth of global
experience in the discovery and development of innovative drugs and
fully functional commercial manufacturing and Sales & Marketing
teams. One pivotal aim of Ascentage Pharma is to continuously
strengthen its R&D capabilities and accelerate its clinical
development programs, in order to fulfil its mission of addressing
unmet clinical needs in China and
around the world for the benefit of more patients.
Forward-Looking Statements
The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only
to the events or information as of the date on which the statements
are made in this article. Except as required by law, Ascentage
Pharma undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise, after the date on which the statements
are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You
should read this article completely and with the understanding that
our actual future results or performance may be materially
different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or
references to, our intentions and expectations or those of any of
our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this
article. Any of these intentions and expectations may alter in
light of future development.
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SOURCE Ascentage Pharma