George Medicines Appoints Mark Mallon as Chief Executive Officer and Board Director
London, UK 29 April 2024 – George Medicines, a late-stage, biopharmaceutical company addressing significant unmet need in the treatment of cardiometabolic disease, announces the appointment of Mark Mallon as its new Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, effective immediately.
Mark brings an extensive track record of successfully leading the development and commercialization of important, innovative medicines across multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. During his 24-year career at AstraZeneca, he held multiple senior leadership roles including Executive Vice President of International and Executive Vice President of Product and Portfolio Strategy. More recently, as CEO and Board Director of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Mark led the successful transformation of a largely primary care business towards a company focused on making a difference for patients with serious and rare gastrointestinal diseases, with considerable growth and profit generation.
Mr Mark Mallon, Chief Executive Officer of George Medicines, said: "I am honored to join George Medicines and strongly believe in its mission to extend and improve the lives of millions of people suffering from the world’s leading causes of death and disability, such as hypertension, diabetes and other common cardiometabolic disorders.
“The Company’s lead drug candidate, GMRx2, provides a significant, near-term opportunity to change the treatment paradigm for people living with uncontrolled hypertension – a condition that has seen limited innovation in recent decades and continues to present a significant burden globally, including in countries with advanced health systems. Around the world, only approximately 1 in 5 adults (21%) with hypertension have it under control and, even in the US, only 1 in 4 adults are reaching their target blood pressure, risking higher rates of morbidity and mortality. I look forward to working with the team to advance GMRx2 through its final stages of development and to secure partnering opportunities that will bring the value of this important medicine to patients."
Professor Anushka Patel, Chair of George Medicines, said: “I am delighted to announce Mark’s appointment, at a pivotal time for the Company and its lead phase III product candidate, GMRx2, ahead of an anticipated US regulatory filing later this year. I am confident that his extensive experience and commitment to bringing innovative, accessible treatments to underserved patients worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries, will bring enormous value to George Medicines. On behalf of the Board, I welcome Mark to the Company and look forward to working together.”
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About George Medicines
George Medicines is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company addressing significant unmet need in the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases with innovative, combinations of best-in-class existing treatments, designed for optimal efficacy and safety.
Combining best-in-class molecules from existing medicines in novel low-dose formulations, George Medicines is developing innovative and proprietary treatments to be more efficacious, safer and accessible than currently available treatment options. These multi-mechanism, single-pill combinations offer the potential to bring significant improvements in clinical outcomes and therapy adherence in patients with cardiometabolic disorders, including hypertension and diabetes, each of which remain the leading causes of premature death and disability worldwide.
The Company is building a strong and diversified pipeline of patented therapies. GMRx2 is in Phase III development for the treatment of hypertension, including first line therapy, and for the prevention of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage (the most severe type of stroke); GMRx4 is in Phase II development for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Further research programs are underway in heart failure, coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease.
George Medicines is a spin-out company from The George Institute for Global Health, one of the world’s leading medical research institutes with a focus on addressing global health inequity. The Company is backed by George Health, the commercial arm of The George Institute, and Brandon Capital, Australia’s leading life sciences venture capital firm. For more information, please visit www.george-medicines.com.
Media contacts
ICR Consilium
David Daley, Lindsey Neville, Isabelle Abdou
georgemedicines@consilium-comms.com
Tel: +44 (0) 203 709 5700
