Eisai's former US chief Ivan Cheung takes helm at NextPoint

01 Feb 2024
firstwordpharma.com
Executive ChangePhase 1Drug ApprovalImmunotherapy
Ivan Cheung has been named the new chief executive at NextPoint Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech developing cancer therapies. He joins NextPoint from Eisai, where he most recently served as CEO of their US business before stepping down last July.
Cheung takes over from founding CEO Detlev Biniszkiewicz of MPM BioImpact, who oversaw NextPoint's transition from a preclinical biotech in 2018 to clinical-stage company after a pair of financing rounds, including an $80-million Series B last year co-led by the investment arms of Bayer and Sanofi.
Biniszkiewicz, who will stay on as chairman of the board, says the incoming CEO's "proven leadership, deep industry expertise and commitment to scientific innovation make him the ideal person to shepherd the company into this exciting next chapter."
During his tenure at Eisai, Cheung guided the Japanese drugmaker's North America business to over $1.5 billion in revenue. He was also a key player in the development and launch of products such as the targeted cancer therapy Lenvima (lenvatinib), and oversaw last year's full US approval of Eisai's Biogen-partnered treatment Leqembi (lecanemab) for Alzheimer's disease.
Meanwhile, NextPoint is developing precision immuno-oncology therapeutics targeting the novel HHLA2 pathway. In December, the company was given a green light by the FDA to begin a first-in-human Phase I study of its NPX887 candidate early this year in patients with solid tumours known to express the antigen, a member of the B7 receptor family.
According to the company, a key point is that HHLA2 is independent of PD-L1 and is often most strongly expressed in PD-L1-negative cancers. NextPoint's approach works by re-activating T and NK cell activity in tumours that are suppressed by HHLA2-driven immune evasion.
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