MIRAMAR, Fla., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generex Biotechnology Corporation (www.generex.com) (OTCQB:GNBT) (http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GNBT/quote) is proud to announce the appointments of Dr. Craig Eagle, MD and Mr. Thomas Leonard to the NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology (NGIO) Board of Directors. Dr. Eagle is a worldwide leader in oncology, leading the commercial development and operations of major pharmaceutical companies, including Genentech/Roche and Pfizer. He has been involved with Generex as a scientific and clinical advisor for the AE37 breast cancer program and as a member of the Generex Board of Directors for several years. Mr. Leonard has held senior sales and marketing positions at major pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Myers Squibb where he currently oversees the Northeast oncology business. Generex welcomes Dr. Eagle and Mr. Leonard to provide oversight and guidance as board members to our soon to be public oncology company, NGIO.
Dr. Eagle is currently the Vice President of Medical Affairs Oncology for Genentech where he oversees the medical programs across the oncology portfolio. Prior to his current role, Dr Eagle worked at Pfizer in several positions including as the oncology business lead in United Kingdom and Canada delivering significant business growth. Previously, Dr Eagle was the global lead for Oncology Strategic Alliances and Partnerships based in New York at Pfizer Inc. and was involved in multiple deals on both the sell and buy side. Dr Eagle started work in Pfizer New York as the global head of the Oncology Therapeutic Area Global Medical and Outcomes Group for Pfizer, including the US oncology business, in this role he oversaw an extensive oncology clinical trial program, health outcomes assessments and scientific collaborations with key global research organizations like the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and EORTC. As part of this role Dr Eagle lead the worldwide development of several compounds including celecoxib, aromasin, irinotecan, dalteparin and ozagomicin, Concurrently Dr. Eagle has been a Member of Scientific Advisory Board at Generex Biotechnology Corp. since August 2010. He has served on the scientific advisory committee and board of directors for several start up biotechnology companies. Dr. Eagle attended Medical School at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and received his general internist training at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. He completed his hemato-oncology and laboratory hematology training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. He was granted Fellowship in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) and the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia (FRCPA). After his training, Dr. Eagle performed basic research at the Royal Prince of Wales hospital to develop a new monoclonal antibody to inhibit platelets.
Mr. Leonard, currently the Northeast Business Manager for Oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb, has a long and successful career in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and management across multiple segments of the healthcare delivery system. Mr. Leonard brings a deep understanding of the current oncology market, having responsibility for cutting edge immunotherapy products including Opdivo (PD1 inhibitor), Yervoy (CTLA4 inhibitor), and Empliciti, as well as small molecule cancer drugs like Sprycel. He has worked across the oncology landscape, with experience in Lung/NSCLC, Head/Neck, Liver, CML, Kidney/Renal Cell Carcinoma, Bladder, Urothelial, Melanoma, and Colorectal Cancers. He also brings to NGIO a broad network of clinical oncologists with whom he has developed relationships over his career, and who will help guide the NGIO clinical development programs for our Ii-Key peptide immunotherapeutic vaccines. In addition to his work in oncology, Mr. Leonard has extensive experience interacting with the healthcare payor sector, leading the market access pull through programs and specialty pharmacy strategy at major payors nationwide and as a core team member for major regional Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) and Organized Customer Groups (OCGs) including Duke, Kaiser Permanente, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Northwell Health. Mr. Leonard received a master’s degree in Public Administration, Business and Health Management from New York University and graduated St. John’s University with a B.S. in Business and Healthcare Administration.
Dr. Eagle commented on his appointment as Chairman of the NGIO Board, “I have been working with Joe and the Generex team for nearly a decade, and it is great to see that we have the opportunity to reinvigorate the AE37 immuno-oncology program and Ii-Key immune system activation platform with the explosion of immunotherapy in the oncology field. The Ii-Key platform can be used to generate a T-cell response against any tumor associated antigen to which it is linked. Therefore, Ii-Key immunotherapeutic peptides like AE37 are ideally suited for use in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitors, which may unmask tumors from the immune system, but which need help to recognize and attack tumor associated antigens. NGIO has opportunities to expand beyond breast cancer with the AE37 immunotherapeutic against cancers that express the tumor antigen, HER2/neu and there are plans to initiate a new AE37 development program in combination with checkpoint inhibitors in bladder and urothelial cancer. Additionally, the company plans to implement a melanoma research and development initiative with the Ii-Key immunotherapeutic peptides against the melanoma antigens GP-100 and TYR. With the impending public market spin-out, I am looking forward to guiding NGIO as a member of the board to help the company realize the potential of the powerful Ii-Key immune activation platform.”
Mr. Leonard added, “It is an honor to join Joe and his team to launch this exciting immunotherapy company, NGIO. I have known Joe for a long time over the course of our 20+ year careers in the pharmaceutical industry, and the opportunities to advance this still emerging field of immunotherapy is very exciting. The NGIO technology platform is perfectly suited to combination therapy with the checkpoint inhibitors that are rapidly becoming a standard part of the oncologists’ arsenal in the fight against cancer. I am looking forward to helping the company with new drug development and market planning, as well as building a key opinion leader network of oncology specialists and patient advocates. This is an exciting time for immune-oncology and I am thrilled to be part of this new and exciting company.”
“We are proud to welcome Dr. Eagle and Mr. Leonard as members of the NGIO Board of Directors”, said Joseph Moscato, President & CEO of Generex Biotechnology. “I have personally known Craig throughout his long and successful career as a leader in the cancer field, and he has helped Generex immensely over the years with his expertise in drug development. Mr. Leonard brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience in cancer care and an unparalleled network of connections in the oncology field to augment and strengthen our ties to the medical community. Their experience and expertise in oncology drug commercialization will help guide the strategic development of our immuno-oncology assets, and their extensive connections in the cancer field and pharmaceutical industry will continue to be a major asset for business development and partnering activities. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Eagle and Mr. Leonard as members of our board for NGIO. Their presence on the board provides great credibility to our oncology franchise, and their insight and guidance will be welcome as we advance our Ii-Key pipeline through the clinic.”
About Generex Biotechnology Corp.
Generex Biotechnology is an integrated healthcare holding company with end-to-end solutions for patient centric care from rapid diagnosis through delivery of personalized therapies. Generex is building a new kind of healthcare company that extends beyond traditional models providing support to physicians in an MSO network, and ongoing relationships with patients to improve the patient experience and access to optimal care.
