On July 31, 2018 CANbridge Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing Western drug candidates in China and North Asia, reported that it strengthened the executive management team with the appointment of May Orfali, MD, as Chief Medical Officer, on July 23, 2018 (Press release, CANbridge Life Sciences, JUL 31, 2018, View Source [SID1234528470]). Dr. Orfali replaced Dr. Mark Goldberg, who was acting as interim Chief Medical Officer. She is based in Cambridge, MA.
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Dr. Orfali has a deep and extensive background in clinical drug development programs that spans two decades in multiple therapeutic areas, with a focus on rare diseases, oncology, hematology, infectious disease and women’s health. Most recently, she was Executive Director, Global Product Development, Pfizer, Inc., USA, where she was responsible for patient-focused drug development across multiple rare disease assets in hematology, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, endocrinology, gene therapy and TTR-amyloidosis. Prior to that role, Dr. Orfali was Senior Director and Global Medical Lead/Medicines Development Group, Specialty Care Business Unit, Pfizer, where she was responsible for developing rare disease drug development strategy, including gene therapy; oversaw global drug development in TTR-amyloidosis, and was Global Medical Lead for hematology, specifically in hemophilia A and B, across North America, Europe and Asia, including Japan and China. Prior to her time at Pfizer, Dr. Orfali held several clinical leadership positions, including Senior Director, Global Medical Monitor, Oncology at Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company, USA; VP Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Artisan Pharma, Inc., USA; Vice President, Clinical Research and Medical Affairs, Aeris Therapeutics, USA; Medical Director, CDMA, Cubist Pharmaceuticals and Medical Director, Women’s Health Group at Boston Scientific Corporation.
Dr. Orfali holds a medical degree from the University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq, and a Pharmaceutical Masters of Business Administration from Cambridge University, Cambridge, England. She was a practicing physician, specialized in CNS Oncology Clinical Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston, MA and completed her Fellowship in Pediatric Oncology/Hematology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA.
"We are delighted that Dr. Orfali has chosen to join CANbridge as we become a fully-commercial biopharmaceutical company with a robust clinical trial program and pipeline," said James Xue, PhD, Chairman and CEO, CANbridge Life Sciences. "Her broad international experience, and proven track record of clinical trial success in multiple indications, will be key as CANbridge continues to advance our world-class programs in oncology and orphan-designated diseases, particularly in those that are severely underserved in China and Asia. We would also like to thank Dr. Mark Goldberg for serving as our interim Chief Medical Officer. He’s played an instrumental role in CANbridge’s current success and will continue to work with us in an advisory capacity."