Istari Oncology Hires Marc Banjak as General Counsel and Secretary as the Company Prepares for a Critical Period of Development and Expansion

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Istari Oncology, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company today announced that Marc Banjak has joined the company as general counsel and secretary. Mr. Banjak comes to Istari from Dova Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: DOVA), where he led the legal and compliance teams. While at Dova, he helped guide the company’s lead product through two regulatory approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of thrombocytopenia. In addition to FDA milestones, he assisted with a secondary public offering and eventually the acquisition of Dova Pharmaceuticals by Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB in 2019.

“Marc’s experience navigating FDA approvals and achieving financial goals will be pivotal to Istari as we head into an exciting time of growth, driving clinical development of PVSRIPO across multiple indications, including glioblastoma, melanoma and bladder cancers,” said Matt Stober, president and CEO of Istari Oncology.

Prior to his time at Dova, Mr. Banjak served as Associate Director of Legal Affairs at PRA Health Sciences, where he led the legal team for the company’s early development initiatives. He also worked for B. Braun Medical, a full-line supplier of IV therapeutic products.

Mr. Banjak has negotiated strategic contracts, advised on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and anti-bribery matters, and on labor issues. His industry experience spans global contract resource organizations, rare disease pharmaceutical companies, and medical device companies.

Mr. Banjak was admitted to the Colorado state bar after earning his J.D. from the University of Denver School of Law. He also holds a B.A. in Psychology from Franklin and Marshall College. He served as a Liaison Officer in Baghdad, Iraq in 2006, and as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in Texas and North Carolina for the United States Air Force. Mr. Banjak is Istari Oncology’s 41st new hire since January 2020, representing the company’s impressive growth over the last 14 months.

For more information about Istari Oncology and their ongoing clinical trials and research in PVSRIPO, visit www.istarioncology.com.

About Istari Oncology

Istari Oncology, Inc., headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on novel immuno-oncology and immunotherapy platforms for the treatment of glioblastoma and a wide variety of tumors. The company was founded by Darell Bigner, MD, PhD and Matthias Gromeier, MD, of Duke University Medical Center in 2016. Istari licensed a broad range of patents and patent applications from Duke University and has access to additional intellectual property to continue clinical and commercial development of these technologies. The company’s primary platform currently in clinical development is PVSRIPO. For more information, please visit: www.istarioncology.com.