On September 22, 2021 Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq:VSTM), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients with cancer, reported the appointment of Louis J. Denis, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (Press release, Verastem, SEP 22, 2021, View Source [SID1234590138]). Dr. Denis brings more than 25 years of clinical development and oncology expertise to Verastem.
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"Louis’ proven track record in drug development, including targeting the RAS pathway for treatment of cancer, and his background as a medical oncologist will be invaluable as we advance our registration-directed trials of VS-6766 and defactinib through the clinic," said Brian Stuglik, CEO of Verastem Oncology.
"I am delighted to join Verastem at such an exciting time. The encouraging results from the Phase 1/2 FRAME study presented at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper), along with the recent FDA breakthrough therapy designation in recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer and the clinical partnership with Amgen in KRAS G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer sets the Company up for its next stages of growth," said Dr. Denis. "I look forward to working alongside Verastem’s experienced leadership team and scientific advisory board to advance its development programs and deliver new treatment options to cancer patients."
Prior to joining Verastem, Dr. Denis was the Chief Medical Officer of Asana BioSciences, where he provided strategic direction as well as medical and safety oversight to Asana’s portfolio of oncology and immunology assets. Previously, Dr. Denis held various leadership roles in Oncology clinical development and medical affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer. Dr. Denis received his M.D. from Vrije Universiteit Brussel Medical School, Belgium, and did his post-doctoral fellowships in Internal Medicine/Medical Oncology at Middelheim Hospital, Antwerp; the Rotterdam Cancer Institute, The Netherlands; and the Institute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, San Antonio, Texas.
About the VS-6766/Defactinib Combination
The combination of VS-6766 and defactinib has been found to be clinically active in patients with KRAS mutant tumors. In an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1/2 FRAME study, the combination of VS-6766 and defactinib is being evaluated in patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC), KRAS mutant NSCLC and colorectal cancer (CRC). The FRAME study was expanded to include new cohorts in pancreatic cancer, KRAS mutant endometrioid cancer and KRAS-G12V NSCLC. Verastem Oncology is also supporting an investigator-initiated Phase 2 trial evaluating VS-6766 with defactinib in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. Verastem Oncology has initiated Phase 2 registration-directed trials of VS-6766 with defactinib in patients with recurrent LGSOC and in patients with recurrent KRAS-G12V mutant NSCLC as part of its RAMP (Raf And Mek Program).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for the combination of Verastem Oncology’s investigational RAF/MEK inhibitor VS-6766, with defactinib, its focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor, for the treatment of all patients with recurrent LGSOC regardless of KRAS status after one or more prior lines of therapy, including platinum-based chemotherapy.