HOUSTON, Aug. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:BLCM), a leader in developing novel, controllable cellular immunotherapies for cancers and orphan inherited blood disorders, today announced the appointment of Thierry Darcis, M.D., M.B.A. as General Manager of Europe. Dr. Darcis brings over 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience spanning global marketing, product development and operations management.
“We are excited to have Thierry join Bellicum as we initiate pre-commercial activities for BPX-501 in Europe,” said Bellicum’s President & CEO Rick Fair. “His expertise in leading commercial operations and product introductions in Europe will be instrumental as we plan for 2019 MAA filings and prepare for the commercial launch upon regulatory approval.”
Commented Dr. Darcis: “I am honored to join this group of talented and driven individuals at a pivotal time for the Company. Bellicum’s novel controlled cell therapies have the potential to expand the life-saving benefits of cell therapies to patients with difficult-to-treat cancers and inherited blood diseases.”
In his most recent role, Dr. Darcis served as the Executive Vice President and General Manager, Europe of Zogenix, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing treatments for rare central nervous system (CNS) disorders. At Zogenix, he was responsible for establishing the company’s pre-commercial presence in Europe and heading the commercial operations for its lead product candidate. Previously, Dr. Darcis served as Vice President and General Manager of the EMEA Region for NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was instrumental in the launch of its lead product in various markets, resulting in the successful acquisition of the company by Shire in 2015. Prior to that, he served as Vice President and General Manager of ViroPharma, as well as Director of several ViroPharma subsidiaries.
Throughout his career, Dr. Darcis also worked at Novartis Vaccines, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals in Belgium, and UCB Pharma, and was a practicing physician in South Africa. He holds an M.D. from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, an M.B.A. from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and a B.S. in marketing and advertising from the Solvay Business School in Brussels.
About Bellicum Pharmaceuticals
Bellicum is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing cellular immunotherapies for cancers and orphan inherited blood disorders. Bellicum is using its proprietary Chemical Induction of Dimerization (CID) technology platform to engineer and control components of the immune system. Bellicum is developing next-generation product candidates in some of the most important areas of cellular immunotherapy, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and CAR T and TCR cell therapies. More information can be found at www.bellicum.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: our intentions to advance and expand our pipeline, and our intentions to seek regulatory approval for BPX-501 in Europe, and if successful, commercialize that product in key European markets. Various factors may cause differences between Bellicum’s expectations and actual results as discussed in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in Bellicum’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and our report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Any forward-looking statements that Bellicum makes in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Bellicum assumes no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Source: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals