BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TKAI), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for prostate cancer and other hormonally-driven diseases, today announced the appointment of Lisa Taylor as Senior Vice President, Commercial Development. Ms. Taylor brings over two decades of experience in biopharmaceutical marketing, and was a member of the launch team for Xtandi® (enzalutamide) at Medivation, Inc.
At Tokai, Lisa will lead commercial preparedness for the launch of galeterone, a potential first-in-class Androgen Receptor Degrader. Tokai has commenced screening patients for the presence of the AR-V7 splice variant for enrollment in ARMOR3-SV, the company’s pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of galeterone in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose tumors express the AR-V7 splice variant. Top-line data from ARMOR3-SV are expected by the end of 2016.
“Lisa is an astute commercial strategist with deep expertise in prostate cancer, and we are thrilled to have her join Tokai’s management team,” said Jodie Morrison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tokai. “As we look ahead to results from our pivotal trial in late 2016 and prepare to commercialize galeterone, Lisa’s expertise and leadership will be critical to our successful delivery of this important therapeutic advance for men living with certain forms of advanced prostate cancer.”
Most recently prior to joining Tokai, Ms. Taylor was the Principal and Founder of Packers Falls Group, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm that conducted commercial assessments and provided marketing and strategy consulting to biopharmaceutical companies. She previously served as Vice President, Commercial Development at Medivation, Inc., where she was the company’s first commercially-focused employee and subsequently served on the Xtandi® (enzalutamide) launch team. Ms. Taylor began her career in strategy consulting at Booz, Allen and Hamilton and has held a number of strategic planning and marketing roles with in vitro diagnostic and medical device manufacturers. She is also an active patient advocate, serving on the Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee’s Uterine Task Force at the National Cancer Institute and on the Developmental Therapeutics Committee of the Gynecologic Oncology Group.
“It is an honor to be joining Tokai at such an exciting time in the company’s growth,” Ms. Taylor said. “We are developing a commercial strategy that builds from our differentiation as an Androgen Receptor Degrader with the potential to overcome the limitations seen with second-generation hormone therapies currently approved for CRPC. I look forward to applying my expertise in building a world-class commercial organization capable of effectively delivering galeterone to patients.”
About Tokai Pharmaceuticals
Tokai Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and delivering innovative therapies for prostate cancer and other hormonally-driven diseases. The company’s lead drug candidate, galeterone, is a highly selective, oral small molecule being developed for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The company’s ARDA drug discovery program is focused on the identification and evaluation of compounds that are designed to disrupt androgen receptor signaling through enhanced androgen receptor degradation and are targeted to patients with androgen receptor signaling diseases, including prostate cancer. For more information on the company and galeterone, please visit www.tokaipharma.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about our future expectations, plans and prospects, including statements about our strategy, future operations, intellectual property, and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: whether our cash resources will be sufficient to fund our continuing operations for the period anticipated; whether data from early clinical trials of galeterone will be indicative of the data that will be obtained from future clinical trials; whether galeterone will advance through the clinical trial process on the anticipated timeline; whether a companion diagnostic based on an AR-V7 clinical trial assay can be developed successfully and on a timely basis; whether the results of ARMOR3-SV will warrant submission for regulatory approval of galeterone and whether such submission will receive approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies; whether, if galeterone obtains such approval, it will be successfully distributed and marketed; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2015. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and not of any future date, and we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.