On September 30, 2021 Inspirna, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule and biologic cancer therapeutics, reported its corporate name change from Rgenix to Inspirna and announced the appointment of Dieter Weinand to its Board of Directors, where he will serve as Chairman (Press release, Rgenix, SEP 30, 2021, View Source [SID1234590622]).
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"Given the recent progress made advancing our novel oral small molecule programs RGX-202 and RGX-104 through the clinic, and in anticipation of executing on upcoming milestones, we knew this was an opportune time to align our company name with the science on which our pipeline is based," said Masoud Tavazoie, M.D., Ph.D., and Chief Executive Officer of Inspirna. "Our new name and logo combine our desire to inspire the development of new cancer medicines with our proprietary RNA-based target discovery platform, and we believe this name now more closely aligns with our mission to develop novel therapeutics that can uniquely benefit patients with difficult to treat cancers."
The Company currently has two clinical trials ongoing, including a Phase 1b study of RGX-202, a novel oral small molecule in development for colorectal cancer (CRC), and a Phase 1b/2 study of RGX-104, a novel oral small molecule in development for several lung cancer indications, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, RGX-019, a novel biologic drug candidate, is in preclinical testing in select solid and liquid tumors. Inspirna plans to provide an update on its programs at its upcoming virtual R&D Day.
Inspirna also announced the appointment of Dieter Weinand to its Board of Directors. Mr. Weinand, formerly CEO of Bayer Pharma AG, brings over 30 years of experience across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dieter to Inspirna," said Dr. Tavazoie. "A seasoned executive in the pharma and biotech industries, his insight will be invaluable as we work to advance our drug candidates through the clinic. He has guided companies across various therapeutic areas, including oncology, from the clinical phase through launch and commercialization, and we look forward to benefitting from his expertise."
"I am delighted to be joining the Inspirna Board of Directors as Chairman at this time of tremendous progress for the Company," said Mr. Weinand. "I am impressed with the clinical and preclinical work the Company has completed thus far and was drawn to the RNA technology on which the pipeline is founded, which I believe has the potential to provide new treatment options for patients with cancer."
Prior to his most recent role as CEO of Bayer Pharma AG, Mr. Weinand held senior leadership positions at Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Sanofi, with responsibilities ranging from management and strategy to operations and commercialization. He has led the launch and marketing of numerous products, including those in primary care, specialty care, and oncology. Mr. Weinand sits on several boards as Chairman, including Replimune, ForeBio, Mnemo and ZielBioPharma. Additionally, he is a director of FieldTrip Health. Mr. Weinand earned his M.S. in pharmacology and toxicology from Long Island University and his B.A. in biology from Concordia College.
Virtual R&D Day on Tuesday, October 26th
Inspirna will host a virtual R&D Day on Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET. The private event will be open to analysts and investors. Details will be provided to invitees separately. Those interested in attending the event should contact [email protected].