SAN DIEGO, Dec. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP), an oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer, announced the election of Kevan E. Clemens, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors at the Company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders yesterday. Dr. Clemens has a long and distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry, highlighted by his role as head of Global Oncology at Hoffmann-La Roche. His election increases the size of MEI Pharma's board to eight members, including seven independent directors.
"We are privileged to have Dr. Clemens join our board at such a pivotal time for the Company," said Daniel P. Gold, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MEI Pharma. "His leadership experience at a global pharmaceutical company will be a tremendous benefit as we continue to execute on our clinical development plan. In addition, his extensive oncology development, sales and marketing expertise adds to the collective acumen of our board as we begin to lay the groundwork for our transition into a commercial company."
Dr. Clemens spent more than 25 years at Labratorios Syntex SA and Hoffman-La Roche in a number of development, sales and marketing positions. As Executive Vice President, Business Director at Roche, he was responsible for the blockbuster Global Oncology franchise, including its strategic business plans, development and marketing. Prior to that he was Vice President, Global Head of Specialty Care, Vice President, Global Head of Project Management and Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations for North and South America. Dr. Clemens served on the Board of Directors of Chelsea Therapeutics International from 2004 until its acquisition by H. Lundbeck A/S in June 2014. He also served on the board of directors of Kosan Biosciences from 2005 to 2008. Dr. Clemens obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University College London.
"I am honored to join the board of MEI Pharma, given the substantial potential of the Company and its pipeline of oncology drug candidates," said Dr. Clemens. "I'm particularly excited about the upcoming Phase II clinical data for Pracinostat and look forward to working with the entire board and management team in the months ahead to formulate a global registration strategy and commercial plan for this important asset."
About MEI Pharma
MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The Company's lead drug candidate is Pracinostat, a potential best-in-class, oral HDAC inhibitor currently being developed for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The Company plans to report interim data from an open-label Phase II clinical study of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in December 2014, followed by topline data from a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II study of Pracinostat and azacitidine in patients with previously untreated intermediate-2 or high-risk MDS in Q1 2015. MEI Pharma is also developing ME-344, a mitochondrial inhibitor currently in a Phase Ib study in combination with topotecan in patients with small cell lung or ovarian cancer who failed initial therapy. In September 2013, the Company further expanded its pipeline of drug candidates with the acquisition of PWT143, a highly selective PI3K delta inhibitor. For more information, go to www.meipharma.com.
Under U.S. law, a new drug cannot be marketed until it has been investigated in clinical trials and approved by the FDA as being safe and effective for the intended use. Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should be aware that our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our failure to successfully commercialize our product candidates; costs and delays in the development and/or FDA approval, or the failure to obtain such approval, of our product candidates; uncertainties or differences in interpretation in clinical trial results; our inability to maintain or enter into, and the risks resulting from our dependence upon, collaboration or contractual arrangements necessary for the development, manufacture, commercialization, marketing, sales and distribution of any products; competitive factors; our inability to protect our patents or proprietary rights and obtain necessary rights to third party patents and intellectual property to operate our business; our inability to operate our business without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of others; general economic conditions; the failure of any products to gain market acceptance; our inability to obtain any additional required financing; technological changes; government regulation; changes in industry practice; and one-time events. We do not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.
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SOURCE MEI Pharma, Inc.