INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwired - October 31, 2016) - Apexian Pharmaceutical, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel compounds to treat cancer, today announced the hiring of Richard Messmann, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the company.
"We are extremely pleased to have Rich become our CMO at Apexian Pharmaceuticals," said Steve Carchedi, CEO for the company. "Rich is a proven clinical scientist with an outstanding track record in developing oncology products in both large pharma and the biotech firms. Importantly, in his previous positions, Rich has successfully guided many oncology medicines through their clinical development with the goal of benefiting cancer patients."
Apexian recently announced acceptance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of an Investigational New Drug Application to evaluate the tolerability and anti-tumor effects of APX3330, a small molecule in development to treat cancer. The Phase 1 study will provide important information on the safety of APX3330 in patients with advanced solid tumors and lay the groundwork for subsequent studies.
"I am very excited to join the Apexian team as its Chief Medical Officer," said Dr. Messmann. "This is a critically important time for the company in that we are moving into cancer clinical trials with a novel drug backed by an exemplary scientific team led by Dr. Mark R. Kelley at Indiana University School of Medicine. In addition to APX3330, the company has an impressive pipeline of new compounds that we hope will benefit cancer patients in need of safe and effective therapies."
Prior to joining Apexian, Rich was CMO of ProNAi Therapeutics and founder of A.B. Biopharm Consulting Group. Rich has over 25 years of experience in cancer drug development including positions at Eli Lilly & Co., Endocyte, Inc., Great Lakes Cancer Institute at Michigan State University and the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, where he completed a fellowship in medical oncology before becoming a director at the NCI Developmental Therapeutics Program.
About Apexian Pharmaceuticals
Apexian Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel compounds to treat cancer targeting the multiple functions of the APE1 protein. The lead drug candidate, APX3330, initially targets late stage cancer refractory to existing treatments and is expected to begin clinical studies in 2016. To learn more about Apexian, please visit the Company's website at www.Apexianpharma.com
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