Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc.

None  Welcome to this week’s Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Max Bayer or Gabrielle Masson, and we will feature it here at the end of each week. TORL taps new CEO  TORL BioTherapeutics  Mark Alles, who’s spent the better part of the last four decades in biopharma leadership roles, has been named chairman and CEO of TORL BioTherapeutics. He’s replacing Dave Licata, who co-founded TORL and helped design its drug development framework. Licata will stick around TORL as a board member and the company’s president, while also taking on a new role as its CFO.  Alles has been a member of TORL’s board for two years and was named its executive chair in late 2022. Before that, he spent more than a decade at Aventis Pharmaceuticals and then another 15 years at Celgene, culminating in a stint as its CEO from 2016 until its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2019.  He’s taking the helm as TORL plans to begin a phase 2 trial of its lead antibody-drug conjugate candidate, TORL-1-23, targeting multiple cancers. Meanwhile, the company is actively enrolling patients in phase 1 studies of a handful of other ADCs and monoclonal antibody therapies.  “TORL has rapidly realized significant success in identifying novel cancer targets, developing first-in-class antibody-based therapies directed at these targets, and with the support of our world-class investors, has recently advanced multiple products into Phase 1 studies,” said Dennis Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., TORL’s scientific founder. “We have reached a major inflection point where our opportunity to generate value for patients, our investors and our team made it both possible and important for us to build on the great work Dave has done by adding and appointing Mark Alles as Chairman and CEO.” Release  Insitro installs first CMO  Insitro  As Insitro inches closer to bringing its first artificial intelligence-discovered drug candidates into clinical trials, it has appointed its first-ever chief medical officer.   In the new role, S. Michael Rothenberg, M.D., Ph.D., will take charge of the company’s clinical development work, heading up translational biology and overseeing trial design and medical and regulatory affairs.  Rothenberg hails from Pfizer, where he spent the last four years carrying out similar responsibilities, including, most recently, as VP of early oncology development and clinical research. At the Big Pharma, he led early-phase trials of oncology and hematology therapies, including overseeing the initial first-in-human and proof-of-concept studies of the multiple myeloma drug now approved as Elrexfio. Release  Sanofi’s interim specialty care chief lands permanent role Sanofi Brian Foard has temporarily filled the role of chief of Sanofi’s specialty care global business unit since September, when former head Bill Sibold hit the exit to lead Madrigal Pharmaceuticals as CEO. Now, Foard has claimed the title on a permanent basis and will also join Sanofi’s executive committee. The exec has been with Sanofi since 2017 and was bumped up from his former slot as head of the specialty care business in North America and U.S. country lead. Before that, he bounced from head roles in dermatology and respiratory to immunology, among other positions. Foard is credited with overseeing launches of Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent across multiple indications and more than 50 countries worldwide, work that will “help to set our roadmap for the first- and best-in-class molecules we are preparing to launch in the coming years,” according to Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. Release > FDA commissioner Robert Califf has selected his next chief of staff in Elizabeth “EJ” Jungman, who will leave her current role as the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s associate director for policy and director of the Office of Regulatory Policy. Jungman is taking over from Julie Tierney, who recently moved to a deputy director role at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Release  > Rare disease specialist BioMarin has a new CEO in Alexander Hardy and he appears to be shaking up his commercial team as the company announced its lead Jeffrey Ajer will leave the company by July. The disclosure, made via a short SEC filing, said Ajer would "step down" as the company's executive vice president and chief commercial officer in July and that the termination was “without cause." Fierce Pharma > Longtime Affimed CEO Adi Hoess, M.D., Ph.D., is hanging up the gloves after 13 years at the helm. The company tapped CMO Andreas Harstrick, M.D., to serve as interim CEO while it searches for a successor. Release  > Ginkgo Bioworks selected six executives from across the industry to make up its new Biopharma Advisory Board. The board now includes Kronos Bio CEO Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., global head of oncology and hematology at Novartis Jeff Legos, Ph.D., founding Alnylam chief John Maraganore, Ph.D, International Therapeutic Research Centers’ chief scientific officer Paolo Martini, Ph.D., IconOVir Bio head Mark McCamish, M.D., Ph.D., and former Kite Pharma CEO Christi Shaw. Release > PMV Pharmaceuticals is shaking up its clinical team with the appointment of two new leaders of the clinical program for its lead candidate, PC14586, which is set to begin a phase 2 study this quarter. Deepika Jalota, Pharm.D., and Marc Fellous, M.D.—PMV’s chief development officer and senior VP of clinical development and medical affairs, respectively—are taking the reins from Leila Alland, M.D., who is stepping down to pursue other opportunities but will remain an advisor to PMV. Release > Athira Pharma is now on the hunt for a new chief medical officer after Hans Moebius, M.D., Ph.D., stepped down to retire, effective Jan. 5. Moebius, who is staying on as a senior scientific advisor to Athira, was appointed CMO in 2019, following a nearly 30-year career in biopharma that included postings at Rodin Therapeutics, Allergan, Merz Pharmaceuticals, Novartis and more. Release  > CRISPR-focused cell therapy developer Caribou Biosciences has named its first chief technology officer: Tim Kelly, who previously served as CEO of Oxford Biomedica Solutions and COO of Homology Medicines and led technical operations at Sarepta, Shire, UCB and Biogen. Release  > Prolific startup starter Flagship Pioneering has promoted from within to name four new origination partners: Kyle Chiang, Ph.D., Molly Gibson, Ph.D., Armen Mkrtchyan, Ph.D., and Jacob Rubens, Ph.D. In their new roles, each will oversee a team tasked with creating and growing new biotech companies. Release  > Capstan Therapeutics tapped Ramin Farzaneh-Far, M.D., to be chief medical officer, following stints at Ra Pharmaceuticals, Akebia Therapeutics, Gilead Sciences and, most recently, RA Capital, where he’s been a venture partner since 2020. Capstan also promoted Miguel Arcinas, the biotech’s VP of corporate development since 2021, to the senior VP level. Release  > Celia Lin, M.D., stepped down from her post as chief medical officer of Vera Therapeutics. Taking over the role is Robert Brenner, M.D., who hails from Orionis Biosciences, while William Turner, formerly of Sierra Oncology, was named Vera’s chief development officer, with both appointments effective immediately. Release  > Maria Törnsén, most recently the chief commercial officer at Passage Bio, has been appointed president of the North America division at Calliditas Therapeutics. Her career also includes stops at Sarepta Therapeutics, Sanofi Genzyme and Shire. Release  > Zura Bio has found a new president and chief operating officer in Robert Lisicki, whose three-decade career in biopharma spans leadership roles at the now-Pfizer-owned Arena Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron, InCarda Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo and Amgen. Meanwhile, Kiran Nistala, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., has been tapped as the biotech’s chief medical officer and executive VP of development. Release  > AbbVie’s retired CMO Rob Scott has a new gig as CMO and head of R&D at Abionyx Pharma, where he will lead the team through pivotal trials for its lead sepsis candidate. Back at AbbVie, the medical chief held his role through major approvals including Skyrizi and Rinvoq. Release  > XOMA has selected Owen Hughes as its next CEO. Hughes—who held the top job at the biotech royalty aggregator on an interim basis for all of 2023—was previously CEO of Sail Bio and Cullinan Oncology, and chief business officer at Intarcia Therapeutics. Release  > Probiotics maker Pendulum Therapeutics tapped former Mayo Clinic medical director Adam Perlman, M.D., as chief medical officer. Now-retired CMO Orville Kolterman, M.D., led the selection of Perlman as his successor. Release > Nutcracker Therapeutics bumped up its executive VP of early R&D, Sam Deutsch, M.D., Ph.D., to the CSO role. Deutsch has been with Nutcracker since its beginnings in 2018 and will now lead the team through trialing its lead mRNA candidate, dubbed NTX-250. Release  > Central nervous system CRO Cognitive Research Corporation appointed Tom Zoda, M.D. Ph.D., as CEO. Zoda came from Apex Innovative Sciences and CenExel clinical research, where he served as chief operating officer. Release  

DENVER, Jan. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SeaStar Medical Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: ICU), a medical device company developing proprietary solutions to reduce the consequences of hyperinflammation on vital organs, announces the appointment of healthcare industry veteran David A. Green as Chief Financial Officer, effective January 10, 2024. Caryl Baron, who has served as Interim CFO since October 2022, will continue with SeaStar Medical as Vice President of Finance. “We welcome David to our executive team at this critical time as we prepare for our first commercial launch for the Selected Cytopheretic Device Pediatric (SCD-PED) later this quarter,” said Eric Schlorff, CEO of SeaStar Medical. “David’s extensive financial experience at public medical device and therapeutics companies will be highly valuable as we work to bring our groundbreaking solutions to those with devastating hyperinflammation. Importantly, David shares our commitment to improving patient outcomes and saving lives. “On behalf of the entire SeaStar Medical team, I extend our thanks to Caryl for stepping into the CFO position on an interim basis during our transition to public company status. We look forward to her continued service to our Company.” “SeaStar Medical’s cell-directed extracorporeal therapy holds potential in multiple high-value indications to stop the threat of a dysregulated inflammatory response that can cause organ damage and even death, while also reducing healthcare system costs,” said Mr. Green. “I’m excited to join this talented, focused and highly motivated team.” Mr. Green has more than 25 years of financial experience primarily in the healthcare sector. He previously served as Interim CFO of Prolacta Bioscience, a private company providing specialized nutrition products to critically ill premature infants, where he led efforts to pursue an initial public offering. Prior to Prolacta, he was Executive Vice President and CFO of Aytu BioPharma, a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical and medical device company marketing prescription and over-the-counter products. In this position, he completed multiple financing transactions and was instrumental in the company’s M&A activities. Earlier, he was Chief Accounting Officer at Intarcia Therapeutics, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company; CFO of Catheter Connections, a commercial-stage medical device company acquired by Merit Medical; and CFO of Specialized Health Products International, a publicly traded medical device company acquired by C.R. Bard. Since 2014 Mr. Green has provided strategic financial consulting services to public and private healthcare companies. Earlier in his career Mr. Green served as Managing Director at Duff & Phelps, a global investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm, and as a founding member of Ernst & Young's Palo Alto Center for Strategic Transactions, where he advised clients on using strategic transactions to accelerate growth. Mr. Green holds a BS from the State University of New York and an MBA from the University of Rochester. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois. About SeaStar MedicalSeaStar Medical is a medical technology company that is redefining how extracorporeal therapies may reduce the consequences of excessive inflammation on vital organs. SeaStar Medical’s novel technologies rely on science and innovation to provide life-saving solutions to critically ill patients. The Company is developing and commercializing cell-directed extracorporeal therapies that target the effector cells that drive systemic inflammation, causing direct tissue damage and secreting a range of pro-inflammatory cytokines that initiate and propagate imbalanced immune responses. For more information visit https://seastarmedical.com/or visit us on LinkedIn or X (previously Twitter). Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1955. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, SeaStar Medical’s expectations with respect to the first commercial launch of SeaStar Medical’s product. Words such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside SeaStar Medical’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause actual future events to differ materially from the expected results include, but are not limited to: (i) the risk that SeaStar Medical may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of its SCD product candidates; (ii) the risk that SeaStar Medical may not be able to raise sufficient capital to fund its operations, including clinical trials; (iii) the risk that SeaStar Medical and its current and future collaborators are unable to successfully develop and commercialize its products or services, or experience significant delays in doing so, including failure to achieve approval of its products by applicable federal and state regulators, (iv) the risk that SeaStar Medical may never achieve or sustain profitability; (v) the risk that SeaStar Medical may not be able to access funding under existing agreements, including the equity line of credit and forward purchase agreements; (vi) the risk that third-parties suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet their obligations, (vii) the risk of product liability or regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to SeaStar Medical’s products and services, (viii) the risk that SeaStar Medical is unable to secure or protect its intellectual property, and (ix) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in SeaStar Medical’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those under the “Risk Factors” section therein and in SeaStar Medical’s other filings with the SEC. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and SeaStar Medical assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Contact: LHA Investor RelationsJody Cain(310) 691-7100Jcain@lhai.com # # #

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XOMA Corporation (NASDAQ: XOMA), the biotech royalty aggregator, announced today the Board of Directors has named Owen Hughes as Chief Executive Officer and Jack L. Wyszomierski as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Hughes has served as XOMA’s Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2023. “The rest of the Board and I have been impressed with Owen’s leadership over the past year and his vision to establish XOMA as the premiere biotech royalty aggregator. I am looking forward to working closely with Owen and the team to further accelerate the Company’s growth and maximize value for all XOMA stockholders,” stated Mr. Wyszomierski. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead XOMA as we look to solidify our position as a leading capital provider to emerging biotech companies,” stated Mr. Hughes. “Our growing cash receipts and maturing portfolio reflect the inherent opportunity for significant inflection points within XOMA’s established royalty and milestone acquisition strategy. I am committed to ensuring XOMA stockholders benefit from our disciplined and effective capital deployment strategy, which today is bolstered by the largest cash balance in XOMA’s history.” About Owen HughesOwen Hughes has spent the last 25 years in the healthcare field as both an operator and an investor. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sail Bio, Inc., Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Cullinan Oncology, and Chief Business Officer and Head of Corporate Development at Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc. Prior to his operational roles, Mr. Hughes served as a Director at Bain Capital, LP, and Portfolio Manager at Pyramis Global Advisors LLC, a Fidelity Investments Company. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ikena Oncology, a member of the Board of Directors for C4 Therapeutics, and previously served as the Chairman of Radius Health and the Lead Independent Director of Translate Bio until their sales to Gurnet Point Capital and Sanofi, respectively. Mr. Hughes holds a B.A. in history from Dartmouth College. About Jack WyszomierskiJack Wyszomierski has been a director of XOMA since August 2010 and Lead Independent Director since May 2023. From 2004 until his retirement in 2009, Mr. Wyszomierski was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of VWR International, LLC, a global laboratory supply, equipment and distribution business that serves the world's pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as industrial and governmental organizations. At Schering-Plough, a global health care company which had worldwide sales of over $8 billion in 2004, Mr. Wyszomierski held positions of increasing responsibility from 1982 to 2004 culminating in his appointment as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Wyszomierski also serves on the Board of Directors of Athersys, Inc., Exelixis, Inc. and SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc., and previously served on the Board of Directors of Unigene Laboratories, Inc., from 2012 to 2013. He holds an M.S. in Industrial Administration and a B.S. in Administration, Management Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University. About XOMA CorporationXOMA is a biotechnology royalty aggregator playing a distinctive role in helping biotech companies achieve their goal of improving human health. XOMA acquires the potential future economics associated with pre-commercial and commercial therapeutic candidates that have been licensed to pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies. When XOMA acquires the future economics, the seller receives non-dilutive, non-recourse funding they can use to advance their internal drug candidate(s) or for general corporate purposes. The Company has an extensive and growing portfolio with more than 70 assets (asset defined as the right to receive potential future economics associated with the advancement of an underlying therapeutic candidate). For more information about the Company and its portfolio, please visit www.xoma.com. Forward-Looking Statements/Explanatory NotesCertain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding the potential expansion and accelerated growth of XOMA’s portfolio and the potential for this portfolio to generate sustained cashflows and positive returns over time. In some cases, you can identify such forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “seek,” “project,” “expect,” “may,” “will”, “would,” “could” or “should,” the negative of these terms or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of XOMA’s performance, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. These statements are based on assumptions that may not prove accurate, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to certain risks inherent in the biotechnology industry, including those related to the fact that our product candidates subject to out-license agreements are still being developed, and our licensees may require substantial funds to continue development which may not be available; we do not know whether there will be, or will continue to be, a viable market for the products in which we have an ownership or royalty interest; if the therapeutic product candidates to which we have a royalty interest do not receive regulatory approval, our third-party licensees will not be able to market them; and the impact to the global economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other potential risks to XOMA meeting these expectations are described in more detail in XOMA's most recent filing on Form 10-K and in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Consider such risks carefully when considering XOMA's prospects. Any forward-looking statement in this press release represents XOMA's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. XOMA disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law. EXPLANATORY NOTE: Any references to “portfolio” in this press release refer strictly to milestone and/or royalty rights associated with a basket of drug products in development. Any references to “assets” in this press release refer strictly to milestone and/or royalty rights associated with individual drug products in development. As of the date of this press release, all assets in XOMA’s milestone and royalty portfolio, except VABYSMO® (faricimab) and IXINITY® [coagulation factor IX (recombinant)], are investigational compounds. Efficacy and safety have not been established. There is no guarantee that any of the investigational compounds will become commercially available. XOMA Investor ContactXOMA Media ContactJuliane SnowdenKathy VincentXOMA CorporationKV Consulting & Management+1 646-438-9754+1 310-403-8951juliane.snowden@xoma.comkathy@kathyvincent.com