Essential Pharma Announces the Appointment of Dr Liz Holmes as Chief Medical Officer
Newly established role at Essential Pharma further strengthens leadership team and supports global growth
Dr Liz Holmes’ rare disease and oncology expertise to be instrumental in bringing clinical stage immunotherapy asset Hu14.18 to market
Egham, UK – 16 October 2024 – Essential Pharma, an international specialty pharma group focused on ensuring that patients have sustainable access to low volume, clinically differentiated, niche pharmaceutical products across key therapeutic areas, today announces the appointment of Dr Liz Holmes as its first Chief Medical Officer.
Liz brings with her over three decades of experience as a pharmaceutical physician and public health expert, during which she has gained expertise both in clinical development and in working with more established medicines that fit Essential Pharma’s high-impact portfolio. She has extensive knowledge in oncology clinical development, vaccine advancement, and medical device innovation. Her career spans the public and private sectors, having reached Specialist level in the NHS before transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, she was Senior Medical Director (Europe) at GRAIL (NASDAQ: GRAL), a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early. Prior to GRAIL, Liz held medical leadership roles at prominent pharmaceutical companies, including Affimed (NASDAQ: AFMD), Merck (NYSE: MRK), and Daiichi Sankyo (TYO: DSNKY), leading teams in executing clinical operations and development, regulatory interactions and submissions, medical affairs and drug safety.
Liz will play a central role in progressing Essential Pharma’s first clinical stage candidate, Hu14.18, an immunotherapy for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma, through clinical development and ongoing regulatory agency interactions.
Liz is multi-lingual and licensed to practise medicine in the UK and Germany, with specialist status in public health medicine. She holds a medical degree from the University of Heidelberg, an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Emma Johnson, CEO of Essential Pharma, commented: “We are very pleased to welcome Liz, whose appointment as CMO represents another important milestone for Essential Pharma as we expand our portfolio to include high potential clinical stage candidates. Her in-depth knowledge, breadth of experience and exceptional track record in executing clinical development programmes across our key therapeutic areas make her an ideal fit. Her appointment will allow us to leverage more of our lifecycle management opportunities for our established brands, internalise medical compliance and enhance our clinical expertise as we continue to grow into a world-leading specialty pharma company.”
Dr Liz Holmes, newly appointed Chief Medical Officer of Essential Pharma, added: “I am excited to join Essential Pharma at this pivotal moment in the company's development as its first Chief Medical Officer to provide medical expertise to support the company’s existing medicines, new product acquisitions and development projects. With my background in rare diseases and oncology, I am particularly excited to contribute to the development of Hu14.18, our immunotherapy candidate in high-risk neuroblastoma. Together with the talented team at Essential Pharma, and our extensive portfolio of established brands, I am looking forward to making an impact on patients' lives globally.”
About Essential Pharma
Essential Pharma is an international specialty pharmaceutical group dedicated to maintaining access to clinically differentiated, niche, branded medicines across multiple therapeutic areas. The group has been an important and valued partner to healthcare providers for over 20 years by giving underserved patient populations access to medicines that otherwise might not be available and addressing clinical unmet needs. Essential Pharma operates globally in more than 70 countries, supplying a portfolio of products with a focus on the central nervous system (CNS), gastroenterology, ophthalmology, and rare disease. The group’s growth strategy is centred on portfolio optimisation and a targeted M&A approach to acquire commercial and late-clinical stage assets in the four therapeutic areas of focus. It is a trusted partner to multiple pharma companies of all sizes, with a proven history of integrating assets and managing complex technology transfers seamlessly while ensuring continuous and sustainable supply to patients.
Essential Pharma is backed by Gyrus Capital, an investment firm dedicated to transformational investments in sectors with long-term sustainable growth, including healthcare.
For more information, please visit essentialpharmagroup.com
CONTACTS
Essential Pharma
Emma Johnson, CEO
Tel: +44(0)1784 477 167
Email: info@essentialpharmaceuticals.com
ICR Consilium
Tracy Cheung/Chris Welsh/Isabelle Abdou
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700
Email: Essentialpharma@icrhealthcare.com
