On November 22, 2018 BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, oral, selective AXL kinase inhibitors for multiple cancer indications, is reported the appointment of Alan Barge MD as Interim Chief Medical Officer and member of the leadership team (Press release, BerGenBio, NOV 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234531625]). The Company also announces further senior organisational changes and a strengthening of its clinical operations as it prepares for the intended advancement of its lead candidate bemcentinib into the next stages of clinical development.

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Dr Barge is a board-certified oncologist and haematologist, with more than 25 years of experience in cancer drug development, spent primarily at AstraZeneca and Amgen. He spent over 12 years at AstraZeneca, where he was VP and Head Oncology and Infection, during which time he was responsible for the development of Iressa (gefitinib) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the translational research that resulted in the successful personalised medicine strategy for AZ. Prior to AZ, Dr Barge was European and Global Medical Director at Amgen, at which he was responsible for European approval and label extensions for several of Amgen’s cancer therapies. More recently, Dr Barge has been actively involved in the biotech sector in both CMO and non-executive positions, including CMO of Carrick Therapeutics (UK and Ireland) and SVP Oncology at ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (Singapore).

Dr Barge will work as part of BerGenBio’s leadership team on an interim basis until a permanent CMO is appointed.

Richard Godfrey, Chief Executive Officer of BerGenBio, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Alan to the team. His vast experience from developing successful cancer drugs with AstraZeneca and Amgen will be most valuable in forming and executing the Company’s clinical and regulatory strategy for bemcentinib as we enter the next phase of development. We anticipate further results from our phase II proof-of-concept studies of bemcentinib in NSCLC and AML in the coming months, and aim to start a randomised phase 2 trial programme in these indications in 2019."

In addition, BerGenBio announces the promotion of Dr Anthony Brown to Chief Scientific Officer from Director of Research, succeeding BerGenBio co-founder Professor James Lorens, who becomes a Senior Scientific Advisor to the Company. Murray Yule, BerGenBio’s Clinical Development Officer, will leave the Company with effect from 30 November 2018. Further, as noted during the Company’s 03 2018 results presentation, Dr Tone Bjaaland has recently been appointed as Director of Clinical Operations (>25 years’ experience in clinical research) and further strengthens the team.

On November 22, 2018 CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB reported that it has received a 1 MSEK grant from Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency (Press release, CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals, NOV 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234533265]). The funds will be used to upscale the production of a novel drug candidate CellProtect, an advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP), for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital.

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The grant has been provided to CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB within the program "Competence Centers; Support for SMEs 2018″. Its aim is to stimulate active and sustainable participation of small and medium size enterprises facilitating growth of the Swedish biologics industry.

Moreover, CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB and the Karolinska University Hospital, via the Karolinska Cell Therapy Center (KCC) and its production unit Vecura, are partners of the Vinnova Competence Centre for Advanced BioProduction by Continuous Processing (AdBIOPRO). This key competence centre, focusing on manufacturing of emerging potent therapeutic products, is coordinated by the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and includes a number of industrial partners.

"We are very grateful for the grant for this important work. Upscaling of the production is an imperative step in order to initiate confirmatory clinical trials with CellProtect in patients with multiple myeloma which is a primary indication for our drug candidate" says Karin Mellström, CEO of CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB.

On November 21, 2018 Bicycle Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a new class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) product platform, reported that management will present a company update at the 30th Annual Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference (Press release, Bicycle Therapeutics, NOV 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234531544]). The presentation will take place at 8:10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, November 27, 2018.

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On November 21, 2018 PellePharm, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to targeting rare dermatologic conditions at their source, reported that Sanuj K. Ravindran, M.D., chief executive officer and president, will present at the Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 27, at 12:30 p.m. EST in New York (Press release, PellePharm, NOV 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234531545]).

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A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed on the company’s website at www.pellepharm.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the PellePharm website for at least two weeks following the presentation.

On November 21, 2018 The Board of Directors of Alliance HealthCare Services, Inc. ("Alliance") reported the promotion of Rhonda Longmore-Grund, currently the organization’s Interim CEO, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately (Press release, Alliance HealthCare Services, NOV 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234531546]).

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Ms. Longmore-Grund joined Alliance in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, bringing significant international and capital market experience and having led organizations through strategic expansion and growth. Prior to joining Alliance, she held several CFO roles including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Printronix, a global provider of industrial print technology solutions serving Fortune 500 customers around the world. She has also served on the executive teams of Ingram Micro, Inc., Exult, Inc., Velocium (now owned by Northrop Grumman) and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Ms. Longmore-Grund holds a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy and International Business from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

At Alliance, Ms. Longmore-Grund has been instrumental in several key strategic initiatives for the organization, including two ownership transitions, privatization and refinancing, earning her and the Alliance team an excellent reputation in the financial community. Ms. Longmore-Grund has also served a pivotal role in the organization’s acquisitions, strategic planning, and culture and engagement initiatives. Most recently, Ms. Longmore-Grund recruited Ms. Prudence Kuai as Chief Information Officer to Alliance, a former WellPoint, Arcadian and Florida Blue executive team member who brings significant payer and information systems expertise to the Alliance senior team.

"We were fortunate to have several very strong internal and external candidates for the CEO role at Alliance," said Paul Viviano, Board Member and search committee chair. "In the end, it was Rhonda’s unique blend of values-based and collaborative leadership, proven record of success both in finance and more generally, and her earned reputation as a trusted and effective leader both within the Alliance team and in the healthcare marketplace that make her the right choice for leading Alliance’s continued success as a national leader in outsourced medical services."

Alliance partners with health systems, hospitals and physician groups to provide radiology, cancer care and pain management services across the United States. The company has become one of the nation’s leading healthcare organizations, with more than 1,100 customers and a patient average satisfaction score of 97%.

In fall of 2017, the organization became wholly owned by Tahoe Investment Group. Says Board Member Charles Feng, "On behalf of Chairman Huang, the Tahoe team and our Board, we are thrilled to have Rhonda in the CEO role. Our growth plan depends on our team’s ability to succeed in a shifting healthcare marketplace, and we look forward to their continued progress on behalf of our patients and partners under Rhonda’s leadership."

The company plans to immediately begin a search for the Chief Financial Officer role