REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMED), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Dr. John Lewicki as President and Chief Executive Officer of OncoMed, effective immediately. Dr. Lewicki was also appointed to the company’s Board of Directors.
“John has been a key member of the OncoMed leadership team since the formation of the company, and he has guided our science to the discovery and development of all of our therapeutic candidates,” said Perry Karsen, Executive Chairman of OncoMed’s Board of Directors. “The OncoMed Board of Directors and I are fully confident that John’s leadership as President and Chief Executive Officer will help ensure the company maximizes the value of our therapeutic candidates for cancer patients and our shareholders. We look forward to working closely with John and the entire OncoMed team to have a positive impact on cancer patients.”
“I am honored to now serve as OncoMed’s President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board, and to be given the opportunity to lead the company at this pivotal time as we advance our lead therapeutic candidates, anti-TIGIT, GITRL-Fc, and navicixizumab, through clinical development,” said Dr. Lewicki. “I am very excited to continue working with my OncoMed colleagues in my new role as we strive to discover and develop cancer therapeutics for patients in need, while creating value for our shareholders.”
Most recently, Dr. Lewicki was named the company’s President in January 2018. Dr. Lewicki joined OncoMed in 2004 as the company’s Senior Vice President of Research and Development before subsequently assuming additional leadership roles within Research and Development. Dr. Lewicki was named the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer in 2009 and then became Executive Vice President, Research and Development in 2016. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lewicki served in various capacities at Scios, Inc., where as Vice President of Research, he managed the company's organization across diverse therapeutic areas. Among his achievements while at Scios was the co-discovery of human B-type natriuretic peptide and its development as an FDA-approved treatment for acute congestive heart failure.
About OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics. OncoMed has internally discovered a broad pipeline of investigational drugs intended to address the fundamental biology driving cancer's growth, resistance, recurrence and metastasis. Anti-TIGIT (OMP-313M32), navicixizumab (anti-DLL4/VEGF bispecific, OMP-305B83), and rosmantuzumab (anti-RSPO3, OMP-131R10) are part of OncoMed's strategic alliance with Celgene Corporation. OncoMed is independently developing GITRL-Fc (OMP-336B11), as well as continuing to pursue new drug discovery research. For further information about OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, please see www.oncomed.com.
Forward Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, OncoMed's intentions and expectations regarding OncoMed’s ability to advance its clinical programs, maximize the value of its therapeutic candidates, and have a positive impact on cancer patients. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause OncoMed's clinical development programs, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the preclinical and clinical development process; OncoMed's dependence on its collaboration partner Celgene for the funding of its partnered programs; OncoMed's ability to raise additional capital to support the development of its unpartnered programs; OncoMed's reliance on third parties to conduct certain preclinical studies and all of its clinical trials; OncoMed's reliance on single source third-party contract manufacturing organizations to manufacture and supply its product candidates; and OncoMed's dependence on its key executives. OncoMed undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to OncoMed's business in general, see OncoMed's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 9, 2018 and OncoMed's other current and periodic reports filed with the SEC.
Investor Relations Contact:
Peter Rahmer
Trout Group
prahmer@troutgroup.com
(646) 378-2973
Mike Zanoni
Trout Group
mzanoni@troutgroup.com
(646) 378-2924