MONROVIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ: XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases, today announced the appointment of Allen Yang, M.D., Ph.D., as senior vice president and chief medical officer. He will be responsible for leading clinical development strategy and overseeing clinical operations for Xencor’s portfolio of XmAb® antibody drug candidates, including bispecific antibodies and cytokines. Dr. Yang joins Xencor from Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he served as senior vice president, head of clinical development and acting chief medical officer.
“We are delighted to welcome Allen to Xencor. He joins our team with a strong record of successful drug development in oncology, including T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies, and a wealth of experience in translational research and as a practicing oncologist. As our bispecific oncology pipeline matures and as we continue to explore novel target combinations in the clinic, Xencor will benefit immensely from Allen’s leadership and expertise,” said Bassil Dahiyat, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Xencor.
“Xencor’s bispecific platform has generated a diverse set of product candidates that explore novel biological mechanisms, which hold the potential to address unmet needs for the treatment of patients with cancer,” said Dr. Yang. “I look forward to contributing to the advancement of the Company’s growing portfolio of novel bispecific antibodies and cytokines.”
Before assuming his most recent role at Jazz, Dr. Yang was the therapeutic area head for hematology and oncology, assembling its clinical development team and overseeing several oncology products, including Erwinaze®, Defitelio® and Vyxeos®. Prior to Jazz, Dr. Yang led clinical development and clinical operations groups at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, where he was vice president of clinical research. Previously, he held several roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen, including those of global development leader for Aranesp® in oncology and clinical research medical director for Blincyto®, the first bispecific antibody approved by the FDA. Before transitioning to the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Yang practiced medicine for several years as an academic oncologist at the University of Southern California, where he led a translational cancer research laboratory. Dr. Yang earned a B.A. in molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and an M.D. from the University of Southern California. He completed his medical oncology fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Erwinaze® is a registered trademark of Porton Biopharma Limited. Defitelio® and Vyxeos® are registered trademarks of Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc or its subsidiaries. Aranesp® and Blincyto® are registered trademarks of Amgen Inc.
About Xencor, Inc.
Xencor is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases. Currently, 14 candidates engineered with Xencor's XmAb® technology are in clinical development internally and with partners. Xencor's XmAb antibody engineering technology enables small changes to the structure of monoclonal antibodies resulting in new mechanisms of therapeutic action. For more information, please visit www.xencor.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, the quotations from Xencor's president and chief executive officer and its chief medical officer and any expectations relating to Xencor's financial expectations and business, the timing and success of clinical trials, future product candidates, Xencor's research and development programs, partnering efforts and capital requirements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements and the timing of events to be materially different from those implied by such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such risks include, without limitation, the risks associated with the process of discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics and other risks described in Xencor's public securities filings. For a discussion of these and other factors, please refer to Xencor's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 as well as Xencor's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on Xencor's current information and belief as well as assumptions made by Xencor. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and Xencor undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law.
