On May 24, 2022 Genexine (KOSDAQ: 095700) a publicly traded, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel biologics for the treatment of unmet medical needs, reported the appointment of Neil Warma as its President and Chief Executive Officer (Press release, Genexine, MAY 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234614998]). Mr. Warma who has over 25 years of experience as a global entrepreneur, company builder and successful CEO will lead Genexine onto the world stage with a focus on advancing Genexine’s key products to market, expanding its pipeline and focusing on global drug development.
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Mr. Warma has been a successful healthcare entrepreneur for over 25 years having led and managed numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies across the globe. From 2019-2022, Mr. Warma was the General Manager of I-Mab Biopharma U.S., (Nasdaq:IMAB) with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Lishui and Hong Kong in China, and Maryland and San Diego, in the U.S., where he was a member of the executive team responsible for the Company’s expansion onto the global stage and for establishing I-Mab’s state-of-the-art research facilities in San Diego, California. From 2008-2017, Mr. Warma was President, CEO and Director of Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPXA), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company developing novel cellular therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, where he orchestrated global deals with Novartis and Merck Serono. From 2004-2007, he was President, CEO and Director of Viron Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company developing novel protein-based therapeutics for cardiovascular disease and transplantation. In 2000, Mr. Warma co-founded and later sold MedExact, a health-technology company dedicated to providing an interface between physicians and pharmaceutical companies. From 1992-2000, Mr. Warma held several key senior management roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals at its corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, in Pharma Policy and Global Marketing. Mr. Warma obtained an honors Bachelor of Science degree specializing in neuroscience from the University of Toronto and an International MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. Mr. Warma currently serves on the Board of ProMIS Neurosciences (TSX:PMN) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Mr. Warma has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Genexine since March 2021 and will continue to serve on the Board as an Executive Director.
"I am deeply honored to have been selected as Genexine’s new CEO by the Board of Directors," said Mr. Warma. "The Company has built a strong scientific foundation based on novel science and differentiated technology over several years. My focus will be to commercialize existing late stage products and further expand Genexine’s pipeline of life-saving products with a focus on first and best-in-class products. We will not only leverage our strength and position as a leading Korean biopharmaceutical company but will also expand our reach into the U.S. and Europe to increase our shareholder base and access new technology and top talent. Genexine has an exciting pipeline and with its global partners is conducting over 20 clinical trials, several in Phase 3 registrational trials. We expect to file several important BLAs in the next 1-3 years and commercialize our first products shortly thereafter."
"My goal is to introduce the biotech world to the top-class technology we have developed in Korea such that we can leverage our clinical data in the US and EU to reduce our development costs and speed the delivery of our products to the patient. We will also look to secure partnerships with global multinational pharmaceutical partners to share costs and leverage their substantial expertise. We are excited to be reporting some near term milestones coming up over the next several months with the planned announcement of Phase 1b/2 clinical data in our potential blockbuster product, GX-I7, the long-acting recombinant Interleukin-7 protein and Phase 2 data in our first-in-class DNA cancer vaccine being studied in cervical and head and neck cancers. These near term milestones should demonstrate our ability to execute and advance our products towards the market and, ultimately, to the patient," added Mr. Warma.