On January 3, 2019 UroGen Pharma Ltd. (Nasdaq:URGN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to address unmet needs in the field of urology, with a focus on uro-oncology, reported the appointment of Elizabeth (Liz) Barrett as President and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately (Press release, UroGen Pharma, JAN 3, 2019, View Source [SID1234532411]). She will also serve on the Company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Barrett, who will be based in New York, replaces Ron Bentsur. Mr. Bentsur will step down from his position at the Company but will continue to serve in an advisory capacity as needed to ensure a smooth transition.
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Ms. Barrett will present at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time. The event will be held in San Francisco at the Westin St. Francis.
Ms. Barrett brings over 30 years of unique experience across oncology, specialty care, surgical franchises, and consumer marketing in multiple geographic regions. Her demonstrated expertise in pharmaceutical development and commercialization of oncology products will be critical as UroGen transforms into a leading commercial-stage entity and delivers potentially paradigm-shifting products to oncology patients in the urological setting.
"Liz has proven to be an exceptional leader with a well-established track record in oncology and the vision and experience to lead UroGen as it prepares for the expected launch of UGN-101, the Company’s first potential product, in 2019," said Arie Belldegrun, M.D., FACS, Chairman of the Board of UroGen. "Through the persistence and dedication of Ron Bentsur and the team, UroGen has become a leader in uro-oncology, and has energized much needed innovation in devastating urologic diseases that are often overlooked. We thank Ron for his commitment to UroGen and are pleased to support him in his future endeavors to focus on innovative early stage life sciences companies."
Ms. Barrett was CEO of Novartis Oncology and a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis. She previously served as Global President of Oncology at Pfizer Inc. At Pfizer, she held numerous leadership positions, including President of Global Innovative Pharma for Europe, President of the Specialty Care Business Unit for North America, and President of United States Oncology. Prior to Pfizer, she was Vice President and General Manager of the Oncology Business Unit at Cephalon Inc. Ms. Barrett also worked at Johnson & Johnson. She started her career at Kraft Foods Group Inc. Ms. Barrett holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Louisiana and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University.
"I’ve built a career with some of the best companies in the industry and have had the opportunity to be entrepreneurial within each of those positions. This is an opportune time to take that experience and apply it to a smaller biotech company on the cusp of transformation," said Ms. Barrett. "UroGen is well positioned to firmly establish the viability of its RTGel platform as the Company completes its first NDA submission to the FDA and prepares for potential commercialization later this year. I cannot think of a more exciting time to join UroGen and work with its outstanding team as we begin to revolutionize uro-oncology and beyond."
"I’ve had the great honor of leading UroGen through its early stages of development, its initial public offering, completed enrollment of our first pivotal trial, and now, initiation of our first rolling NDA submission," said Ron Bentsur. "I have no doubt that Liz will be a great leader during UroGen’s next stage and will have the experience needed to build on our clinical success and prepare the company for commercialization. I look forward to supporting the Company’s ongoing success."
UroGen recently announced its initiation of the UGN-101 Rolling NDA Submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The completed submission is expected in mid-2019, with potential approval anticipated in 2019. The Company plans to present the topline data in January 2019.
A live audio webcast of the J.P. Morgan presentation will be available on the Investors section of UroGen’s website www.urogen.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website for approximately 30 days.