On May 1, 2023 Kazia Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ: KZIA; ASX: KZA), an oncology-focused drug development company, reported that Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dr James Garner, has resigned from the company (Press release, Kazia Therapeutics, MAY 1, 2023, View Source [SID1234630777]). Dr John Friend, Chief Medical Officer of Kazia, will immediately assume the role of Chief Executive Officer, and will in due course join the Board as Managing Director.
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!
Non-Executive Chairman of Kazia, Iain Ross, commented:
"Dr James Garner joined Kazia in February 2016 and was responsible for the transformation of the legacy Novogen business into the current organization. He drove the in-licensing of paxalisib and EVT801 and managed the deployment of a broad clinical program for both assets, in collaboration with leading cancer centres in the United States and Europe. He leaves to pursue other opportunities.
On behalf of the Board and on a personal basis, I want to thank James for his enormous contribution to Kazia, and to wish him every success in his future endeavours. As Kazia now moves towards further clinical readouts and potential commercialisation of paxalisib, it is timely to reposition the company’s executive team.
Dr John Friend brings a wealth of drug development and business experience to Kazia and has made an excellent contribution during his time with the Company. The Board is delighted that John has accepted the role of CEO as we believe he will be an excellent steward for the next phase of the Company’s growth."
About Dr John Friend
Dr Friend joined Kazia as Chief Medical Officer in November 2021. Since that time, he has been responsible for managing, and instrumental in expanding Kazia’s portfolio of clinical programs.
He is an accomplished physician executive with a more than 25 year career history and extensive background in establishing and leading critical business units in small to mid-sized biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Kazia, he was Chief Medical Officer at Cellectar Biosciences, Inc (NASDAQ: CLRB), a clinical-stage, oncology-focused biotech company based in Florham Park, NJ. Prior to his time at Cellectar, he held executive roles with responsibility for research & development, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance and risk management at various pharmaceutical companies including Helsinn Therapeutics, Akros Pharma, Actavis, Alpharma, Hospira and Abbott Laboratories.
Dr Friend gained his medical degree at Rutgers University (UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson) and also holds a BA in chemistry from Southern Methodist University.
Dr Friend commented:
"I join Iain in adding my thanks to Dr James Garner for the many years of strong leadership he has delivered to Kazia. He leaves the company well positioned with two excellent, unique clinical assets in paxalisib and EVT801, and a broad program of ongoing clinical trials, many of which are expected to produce data during CY2023.
We retain a highly accomplished, professional team which holds a deep understanding of our clinical assets and pipeline. I look forward to working closely with Iain, together with the Board and team to drive the company forward as Kazia’s next CEO."
Dr Friend will continue to be based in the state of New Jersey, USA on terms as outlined in Appendix A and Dr Garner will remain engaged through a transitional period to ensure a smooth handover of operational activities.