Dendreon Appoints Jason O’Neill as Chief Executive Officer

– Industry Veteran Brings Proven Track Record Leading Successful Global Organizations –

SEAL BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company and pioneer in the development of immunotherapy, today announced the appointment of Jason O’Neill as chief executive officer, effective June 1, 2020. O’Neill brings extensive pharmaceutical leadership experience to Dendreon, with prominent roles in the areas of general management, commercial development and marketing in the United States and Asia.

“The opportunity to join Dendreon at this critical stage in the company’s growth is exciting,” said O’Neill, chief executive officer of Dendreon. “My experience developing successful growth and market entry strategies is a timely addition to the company as we work to build a robust R&D pipeline and expand access to the life-extending benefits of PROVENGE^® (sipuleucel-T) in the United States and internationally.”

O’Neill was previously responsible for leading Sanofi’s oncology portfolio during six of his nine years with the company. That portfolio included Taxotere^® (docetaxel), the most widely prescribed chemotherapy in the metastatic prostate cancer setting.

He also recently served as chief executive officer at Iridium Therapeutics, a pre-clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on maximizing the benefits of proven therapies by improving their delivery and adherence. Iridium’s lead candidates were 3- and 6-month injectable formulations of anastrozole, the leading hormone treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer.

He has also held a variety of general management and senior new product development roles throughout his career at major pharmaceutical companies including Roche/Genentech, Mallinckrodt, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. His experience in the Asia Pacific market will contribute to Dendreon’s long-term strategy of growing into a multi-product, multi-market company.

O’Neill holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

About Dendreon

Dendreon is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company and pioneer in the development of treatments that harness the power of the immune system to extend life. Dendreon’s flagship product, PROVENGE^® (sipuleucel-T), was the first FDA-approved immunotherapy made from a patient’s own immune cells. Nearly 40,000 men with advanced prostate cancer have been prescribed PROVENGE in the U.S. since 2010. Dendreon also is evaluating the use of PROVENGE in early-stage prostate cancer, with the hope of curing more men of the disease. Dendreon is headquartered in Seal Beach, Calif. For more information, please visit www.dendreon.com.

INDICATION

PROVENGE is an autologous cellular immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Acute Infusion Reactions: Acute infusion reactions (reported within 1 day of infusion) may occur and include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, rigor or chills, respiratory events (dyspnea, hypoxia, and bronchospasm), syncope, hypotension, hypertension, and tachycardia.

Thromboembolic Events: Thromboembolic events, including deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, can occur following infusion of PROVENGE. The clinical significance and causal relationship are uncertain. Most patients had multiple risk factors for these events. PROVENGE should be used with caution in patients with risk factors for thromboembolic events.

Vascular Disorders: Cerebrovascular events (hemorrhagic/ischemic strokes and transient ischemic attacks) and cardiovascular disorders (myocardial infarctions) have been reported following infusion of PROVENGE. The clinical significance and causal relationship are uncertain. Most patients had multiple risk factors for these events.

Handling Precautions: PROVENGE is not tested for transmissible infectious diseases.

Concomitant Chemotherapy or Immunosuppressive Therapy: Chemotherapy or immunosuppressive agents (such as systemic corticosteroids) given concurrently with the leukapheresis procedure or PROVENGE has not been studied. Concurrent use of immune-suppressive agents may alter the efficacy and/or safety of PROVENGE.

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions reported in clinical trials (≥ 15% of patients receiving PROVENGE) were chills, fatigue, fever, back pain, nausea, joint ache, and headache.

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