On April 18, 2018 Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN:ATNM) ("Actinium" or "the Company"), reported that it has expanded its clinical development team with hiring of Vijay Reddy, M.D., Ph.D. as Vice President, Clinical Development, who will focus on Actinium’s clinical programs centered on targeted myeloablation (Press release, Actinium Pharmaceuticals, APR 18, 2018, View Source [SID1234525495]). Actinium is differentiating itself by developing the only multi-disease, multi-target pipeline of drug candidates focused on improving bone marrow transplant access and outcomes through improved myeloablation which includes the Company’s lead program, Iomab-B, that is being studied in the Pivotal Phase 3 SIERRA study and its planned Phase 2 Actimab-MDS trial.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Dr. Mark Berger, Actinium’s Chief Medical Officer said, "I am incredibly excited to welcome Dr. Reddy, Dr. Safavi and Ms. McNamara to Actinium’s clinical development team. Vijay brings extensive clinical experience in the field of bone marrow transplant along with hematology focused drug development experience. His deep domain expertise and knowledge will allow us to capitalize on the many opportunities in myeloablation, for which our drug candidates and Actinium Warhead Enabling technology are ideally suited. Farnoush has a strong background in clinical trial execution and a proven ability to drive clinical trial enrollment, which will be of great benefit as we work to complete the SIERRA trial and launch new trials such as Actimab-MDS. Kathleen possesses a strong clinical nursing background, drug development experience and significant experience in the administration of complex therapies that will be well received by the SIERRA sites she supports. I am confident that collectively and individually, Dr. Reddy, Dr. Safavi and Ms. McNamara will make invaluable contributions that will allow us to continue to build on Actinium’s leadership position in myeloablation."
Dr. Reddy said, "As a transplant physician I am keenly aware of Iomab-B and its value proposition for patients, so it is incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to help bring this important targeted therapy against acute myeloid leukemia to patients with a clear need that can benefit from a BM. Actinium has done a fantastic job in the execution of the SIERRA trial thus far, as evidenced by participation of many of the leading BMT centers. In addition, expansion of the myeloablation programs with the planned Actimab-MDS trial represents a compelling opportunity. I am incredibly excited by the opportunities that lie ahead for Actinium and look forward to working with Dr. Berger and my new colleagues to build the leading myeloablation company."
Sandesh Seth, Actinium’s Chairman and CEO said, "Actinium is committed to being the leading company focused on myeloablation that improves access to and outcomes from potentially lifesaving bone marrow transplants. What started as a single asset in Iomab-B has evolved into a myeloablation franchise with the only multi-disease multitarget pipeline in myeloablation. The addition of Dr. Reddy, Dr. Safavi and Ms. McNamara will allow us to execute on the critical milestones for our pivotal Phase 3 trial for Iomab-B, efficiently launch our planned Phase 2 Actimab-MDS trial and capitalize on other opportunities in the field. We are incredibly excited for the talent we have assembled within Actinium and are motivated to make great advances with our drug candidates and technologies to better outcomes for patients."
Dr. Reddy has specialized in hematologic oncology with a Ph.D. in cancer immunology who focused his clinical practice in the area of bone marrow transplantation. Dr. Reddy was attending physician at Shands Hospital, University of Florida, and the Medical Director for adult BMT program in Orlando, prior to his starting in industry. He has served as inspector for the Foundation of Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT). He is currently an Editorial Board Member for Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and has authored over 50 publications in hematology/oncology and BMT journals.
Dr. Reddy joins Actinium from Pharmacyclics LLC, an Abbvie company, where he was Senior Medical Director, Oncology Medical Affairs. In this role, Dr. Reddy worked on the Ibrutinib program in CLL, MCL and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), along with additional indications. Previously, he worked at Medimmune (AstraZeneca) as Medical Director, Early clinical development, Immuno-Oncology R&D. Prior to Medimmune, Dr. Reddy worked at Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson company as Medical Director, Oncology. Prior to his experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Reddy was Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida. As a practicing clinician, Dr. Reddy participated in several clinical trials for BMT as an investigator, physician advisor or advisory board member.
Dr. Reddy received his M.B., B.S. (M.D. equivalent) from the Madras Medical College in India and his Ph.D. in cancer immunology from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. He completed fellowships in hematology at The Princess Margaret Hospital and in Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the University of Toronto. He also was a Research Associate at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Safavi joined Actinium from Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where she focused on oncology clinical studies. Prior to Progenics, Dr. Safavi had clinical roles of increasing responsibility at Stealth Bio Therapeutics, Verastem Inc. and New England Research Institute, Inc. Before her work in industry, Dr. Safavi supported academic clinical research at Massachusetts General Hospital, Emory University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Medical Center – Albert Einstein School of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Safavi received her M.D. from Xavier University School of Medicine, West Indies, Master of Health Services Administration from St. Joseph’s College of Maine and her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Houston.
Kathleen McNamara is a Registered Nurse and Oncology Certified Nurse with significant clinical experience in the care of oncology patients. Most recently, Ms. McNamara was the Nurse Manager at a large infusion center where she oversaw patient care and trained the nursing staff in oncology therapy administration. Kathleen gained valuable experience in drug developing where she worked at Celgene Corporation as a Clinical Research Scientist on leukemia focused clinical trials and at Quintiles as an Oncology Nurse Educator. The majority of Kathleen’s career has been focused on the clinical care of oncology patients where she gained valuable experience in the administration of complex oncology therapies including biologics, bone marrow transplants and clinical trials. In addition, Kathleen has successfully managed, led and helped educate nursing staffs in a number of hospitals and infusion centers.
Kathleen earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Niagara University and her Master of Arts degree in Education from Long Island University. She is a Registered Nurse with a certificate in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Ambulatory Pediatrics from the State University of New York.