Ascentage Pharma Appoints Ms. Marina S. Bozilenko and Dr. Debra Yu as Independent Non-Executive Directors

ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK), a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and commercializing therapies to address global unmet medical needs primarily for malignancies, today announced that it has appointed Ms. Marina S. Bozilenko and Dr. Debra Yu as additional independent non-executive directors of the company with effect from November 25, 2024.

"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms. Marina S. Bozilenko and Dr. Debra Yu, who are joining Ascentage Pharma as independent non-executive directors," said Dr. Dajun Yang, Chairman & CEO of Ascentage Pharma. "Both Ms. Bozilenko and Dr. Yu are accomplished industry veterans possessing a wealth of experience in the finance, investment, business development, and strategic management in the global biopharmaceutical sector. Ascentage Pharma is currently at a crucial stage of its development where we are making further strides with our global innovation strategy. We believe these two distinguished new members of our Board bring with them the invaluable insights and strategic acumen that will help propel the company into its next phase of growth."

Ms. Marina S. Bozilenko is currently the President, CEO and a Director at Biothea Pharma, and an independent director at Talphera, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLPH). Previously, Ms. Bozilenko served as a Managing Director of William Blair & Co. LLC, a Senior Managing Director at Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc., and as a Managing Director at Banc of America Securities LLC. Before that, Ms. Bozilenko held various positions at Vector Securities International, Prudential Vector Healthcare Group, and Kidd & Co. LLC. Additionally, Ms. Bozilenko served as Directors at Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: OLMA) and SynAct Pharma AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: SYNACT). Ms. Bozilenko received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and master's degree in social science from the University of Chicago.

Ms. Debra Yu. MD, is currently the Chief Operating Officer and a partner at Panacea Venture, a board member at MeiraGTx Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: MGTX), and an independent non-executive director of JW (Cayman) Therapeutics Co. Ltd (2126. HK). Previously, she served as the Chief Strategy Officer and President at LianBio (NASDAQ: LIAN). Prior to that, she was the Managing Director and head of cross border healthcare investment banking at China Renaissance Securities (U.S.) and the Managing Director of Labrador Advisors, LLC, where she advised numerous cross-border partnerships and licensing transactions. Earlier, she was the Vice President of Strategy at WuXi AppTec; a Senior Director and a leader of the venture capital team and the Worldwide Business Development organization at Pfizer. For many years, Dr. Yu has been a venture capitalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she served as a general partner of Delphi Ventures and the Managing Director of Bay City Capital. Dr. Yu has also held positions at McKinsey & Co. and Morgan Stanley. Dr. Yu received a bachelor's degree with high honors in molecular biology from Princeton University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School.

About Ascentage Pharma

Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK) is a global, integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and commercializing therapies to address global unmet medical needs primarily in malignancies. On October 28, 2019, Ascentage Pharma was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code 6855.HK.

The company has built a rich pipeline of innovative drug candidates that includes novel, highly potent Bcl-2 and dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors, as well as candidates aimed at IAP and MDM2-p53 pathways, and next-generation TKIs. Ascentage Pharma is also the only company in the world with active clinical programs targeting all three known classes of key apoptosis regulators. The company has conducted more than 40 clinical trials in the US, Australia, Europe, and China, including 13 registrational studies (completed/ ongoing/planned).

Olverembatinib, the company's first lead asset developed for the treatment of drug-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and the company's first approved product in China, has been granted Priority Review Designations and Breakthrough Therapy Designations by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). To date, the drug had been included into the China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). Furthermore, olverembatinib has been granted Orphan Drug Designations (ODDs) and a Fast Track Designation (FTD) by the US FDA, and an Orphan Designation by the EMA of the EU.

To date, Ascentage Pharma has obtained a total of 16 ODDs from the US FDA and 1 Orphan Designation from the EMA of the EU for 4 of the company's investigational drug candidates. Leveraging its robust R&D capabilities, Ascentage Pharma has built a portfolio of global intellectual property rights and entered into global partnerships and other relationships with numerous leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Takeda, AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer and Innovent; and research and development relationships with leading research institutions such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan.

The company has built a talented team with a wealth of global experience in the discovery and development of innovative drugs and fully functional commercial manufacturing and Sales & Marketing teams. One pivotal aim of Ascentage Pharma is to continuously strengthen its R&D capabilities and accelerate its clinical development programs, in order to fulfil its mission of addressing unmet clinical needs in China and around the world for the benefit of more patients.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, Ascentage Pharma undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions and expectations or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions and expectations may alter in light of future development.

source: Ascentage Pharma