TMCnet News
Kite Pharma Names Arie Belldegrun as President and CEO [Professional Services Close - Up](Professional Services Close - Up Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Kite Pharma, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing engineered autologous T cell therapy (eACT) products for cancer, announced the appointment of Arie Belldegrun, M.D., FACS, as President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Belldegrun, who is also a founder of Kite, will continue in his current role as Chairman of the Company. "Dr. Belldegrun has had a distinguished 18-year tenure in the life sciences industry, having been closely involved with the founding and advancement of successful private and public biopharmaceutical companies," said David Bonderman, speaking on behalf of Kite's Board of Directors. "We are very pleased that he will take on his new role at Kite as the Company continues its momentum and further advances its broadly enabling platform in cancer immunotherapy." According to a release, prior to founding Kite, Dr. Belldegrun was the founding Vice-Chairman of the board of directors and Chairman of the scientific advisory board of Cougar Biotechnology, acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2009 in a $970 million transaction. Previously, Dr. Belldegrun founded Agensys and served as Chairman of the board of directors. He also currently serves as Chairman of Arno Therapeutics, Inc., and as a board member of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, SonaCare Medical, and TheraCoat. In addition, Dr. Belldegrun is Professor of Urology, holds the Roy and Carol Doumani Chair in Urologic Oncology, and is Director of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |