– CANADA, Vancouver – Zymeworks Inc. (Nasdaq: ZYME), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics, today announced the appointment of Derek Miller to its board of directors effective April 10, 2023, bringing extensive commercial, corporate and business development, and senior leadership experience in oncology to the board.
“Derek brings over two decades of strategic, operational, and commercial leadership and deep experience in oncology to the Zymeworks board. His guidance and expertise will be an important asset for us as we work with our collaboration partners, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and BeiGene, on the development and commercialization of zanidatamab while rapidly advancing and expanding our early clinical and preclinical pipeline of novel antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibodies,” said Chair and CEO, Ken Galbraith.
About Derek J. Miller
Derek Miller has been a leader in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector for more than 25 years with experience in corporate development, business development, and global commercial strategy. He is an independent commercial and business development consultant who advises early to late-stage companies developing platforms and assets for oncology and ultra-rare diseases. He also currently serves as CEO of a cell and gene therapy imaging startup venture, spun out from the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he served as CBO of Aro Biotherapeutics, a spinout of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, leading numerous strategic and operational initiatives including a transformative collaboration with Ionis with potential revenues of up to $1.4 billion. Mr. Miller also previously served as CBO of Celator Pharmaceuticals, where he led the development of their pipeline and business development strategy until its acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2016 for cash proceeds of approximately $1.5 billion. Before Celator Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Miller held a variety of marketing, sales, and market access roles with Genentech, Centocor, and GSK. Mr. Miller is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is a mentor for the Villanova School of Business.
“Zymeworks is at an exciting and important point in its development as a leader in the multispecific and ADC space and I am thrilled to be able to help support the company as it continues to advance down this path,” said Derek Miller. “I look forward to collaborating with the talented team and leveraging my insights across corporate development and commercial strategy in support of our important mission to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients across the globe impacted by difficult-to-treat cancers.”
He received an M.B.A. from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from the University of Delaware.
About Zymeworks Inc.
Zymeworks Inc. is a global biotechnology company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics. Zymeworks’ mission is to make a meaningful difference for people impacted by difficult-to-treat cancers and other serious diseases. Zymeworks’ complementary therapeutic platforms and fully integrated drug development engine provide the flexibility and compatibility to precisely engineer and develop highly differentiated antibody-based therapeutic candidates. Zymeworks engineered and developed zanidatamab, a HER2-targeted bispecific antibody using Zymeworks’ proprietary Azymetric technology. Zymeworks has entered into separate agreements with BeiGene, Ltd. and Jazz Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited, granting each of BeiGene and Jazz exclusive rights to develop and commercialize zanidatamab in different territories. Zanidatamab is currently being evaluated in global Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 clinical trials, including certain ongoing pivotal clinical trials as a treatment for patients with HER2-expressing cancers. Zymeworks’ next clinical candidate, zanidatamab zovodotin, is a HER2-targeted bispecific antibody-drug conjugate developed using Zymeworks’ proprietary Azymetric and ZymeLink Auristatin technologies. Zanidatamab zovodotin is currently being evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trial for patients with various HER2-expressing, HER2-amplified or HER2-mutant cancers. Zymeworks is also advancing a deep pipeline of product candidates based on its experience and capabilities in ADC and multispecific antibodies. In addition to Zymeworks’ wholly-owned pipeline, its therapeutic platforms have been further leveraged through strategic partnerships with global biopharmaceutical companies.
Source: https://www.zymeworks.com/
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