Kazia Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:KZA, NASDAQ:KZIA) has appointed John Friend MD, the former chief medical officer (CMO) at Cellectar Biosciences (NASDAQ:CLRB), Inc as its new CMO.
Dr Friend will be responsible for overseeing the development and commercialization of Kazia’s pipeline drug candidates, and collaborate with clinicians and scientists to advance the company’s research programs.
He will be based in New Jersey in the US.
Timely appointment
Kazia chief executive officer James Garner said: “We are delighted to welcome John to the Kazia team.
“With paxalisib moving rapidly towards potential commercialization, and EVT801 now in the clinic, this appointment is very timely.
“John is a highly experienced oncology and haematology drug developer who brings to Kazia a wealth of expertise, as well as a passion for improving the lives of patients with cancer.”
Driving pipeline forward
Dr Friend added: “I look forward to working with Kazia colleagues to drive the company’s pipeline forward toward its full potential.
“Both paxalisib and EVT801 have enormous scope to address unmet needs in a number of different tumour types and I am pleased to be working with world-renowned cancer centers and their leading clinicians to develop these promising new therapies.
“I am delighted to join Kazia at such an exciting and pivotal time for the company.”
Career spanning over 25 years
Dr Friend gained his medical degree at Rutgers University (UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson) and also holds a BA in chemistry from Southern Methodist University.
In a career spanning more than 25 years, he has worked across a wide range of therapeutic areas in roles spanning early clinical research through to medical affairs.
He spent seven years with the US business unit of Helsinn Therapeutics, a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company before leaving the company as senior vice president of Medical and Scientific Affairs.