FibroGen Names Enrique Conterno as Chief Executive Officer
January 06 2020 - 07:00AM
FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGEN) announced that its Board of Directors
unanimously appointed Enrique Conterno as the company’s Chief
Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective
today. Conterno previously worked as a senior vice president for
Eli Lilly and Company, serving as President, Lilly USA, President,
Lilly Diabetes, and a member of Lilly’s corporate executive
committee.
“Following a comprehensive search, we are
confident Enrique is the right individual to assume leadership of
FibroGen at this pivotal time,” said Tom Kearns, previously
Chairman of the Board, and lead independent director. “Enrique’s
nearly three decades of experience in the global healthcare
industry include multiple strategic leadership roles and the
oversight of several significant product launches, including the
diabetes field’s first-ever cardiovascular approval. Enrique
re-established Lilly’s leadership position in diabetes, growing the
business from approximately $3 billion to over $10 billion in
annual revenue. Enrique is extremely qualified to lead FibroGen as
we prepare for the global commercialization of roxadustat and
continue the advancement of our clinical programs.”
“I am energized to join a company with such an
innovative pipeline, as well as the first-in-class asset
roxadustat, which has the potential to change the treatment
paradigm in anemia that has seen little progress in the last 30
years,” said Conterno. “This is a tremendously exciting time for
FibroGen and I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with
this team as we continue to apply groundbreaking science with the
goal of helping patients around the world.”
Jim Schoeneck has served as the company’s
Interim CEO since August 2019, following the unexpected passing of
founder and long-term CEO, Tom Neff. With the hiring of
Enrique, Jim is appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and
will continue to serve the company during a transition period as
Interim President.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would
like to thank Jim Schoeneck for his dedicated leadership during
this transition,” said Kearns. “Jim’s knowledge of the industry, as
well as our science and strategy, has been instrumental in keeping
the company focused on top priorities during a difficult and
critical period in its development, including the filing of the
roxadustat U.S. NDA. Jim will be instrumental in working with
Enrique and the rest of the Board to continue to fulfill the
founding vision for the company, bringing novel, first-in-class
medicines to patients.”
A native of Peru, Conterno holds a bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve
University and a master’s degree in business administration from
Duke University. Conterno joined Eli Lilly and Company in 1992 and
spent the next two decades working in the U.S. and internationally
across sales, marketing, finance, business development, and general
management roles. Conterno became the President of Lilly Diabetes
in 2009. In addition to those responsibilities, Conterno took on
the role of President of Lilly USA in January 2017. Conterno
retired from Eli Lilly and Company at the end of 2019 after 27
years of service with the company.
About FibroGen FibroGen, Inc.,
headquartered in San Francisco, California, with subsidiary offices
in Beijing and Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, is a leading
biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing a pipeline of
first-in-class therapeutics. The company applies its pioneering
expertise in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and connective tissue
growth factor (CTGF) biology, and clinical development to advance
innovative medicines for the treatment of anemia, fibrotic disease,
and cancer. Roxadustat, the company’s most advanced product, is an
oral small molecule inhibitor of HIF prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH)
activity, completing worldwide Phase 3 clinical development for the
treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD), is approved by
the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China for
CKD patients on dialysis and not on dialysis, and by the Ministry
of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan for CKD patients on
dialysis. The NDA for roxadustat for treatment of CKD anemia was
submitted to the U.S. FDA in December 2019. Roxadustat is in Phase
3 clinical development in the U.S. and Europe and in Phase 2/3
development in China for anemia associated with myelodysplastic
syndromes (MDS), and in a Phase 2 U.S. trial for treatment of
chemotherapy-induced anemia. Pamrevlumab, an anti-CTGF human
monoclonal antibody, is in Phase 3 clinical development for the
treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pancreatic
cancer, and is currently in a Phase 2 trial for Duchenne muscular
dystrophy (DMD). FibroGen is also developing a biosynthetic cornea
in China. For more information, please visit www.fibrogen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements This
release contains forward-looking statements regarding our strategy,
future plans and prospects, including statements regarding the
development of the company’s product candidates, and our clinical
and regulatory plans. These forward-looking statements include, but
are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives,
representations and contentions and are not historical facts and
typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “will”,
“should,” “on track,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” and
similar words, although some forward-looking statements are
expressed differently. Our actual results may differ materially
from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to
risks and uncertainties related to the continued progress and
timing of our various programs, including the enrollment and
results from ongoing and potential future clinical trials, and
other matters that are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and our quarterly
report on 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2019
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including
the risk factors set forth therein. Investors are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press
release, except as required by law.
Contact: FibroGen, Inc.
Media Inquiries: Sara Iacovino 1.703.474.4452
sara.iacovino@gcihealth.com
Investors: Michael Tung, M.D. Investor
Relations 1.415.978.1433 ir@fibrogen.com
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