Exelixis Announces Appointment of Dana T. Aftab, Ph.D. as Executive Vice President, Research and Development

– Dr. Aftab has served for over 25 years at Exelixis and has been instrumental in driving the company’s scientific innovation and development activities –

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) today announced it has appointed Dana T. Aftab, Ph.D., as its Executive Vice President, Research and Development. In this new role, Dr. Aftab will oversee all aspects of the company’s drug discovery, translational research, product development and medical affairs activities.

"Dana has been an integral part of the Exelixis team for more than 25 years, with deep expertise that spans the drug discovery and development continuum. He's been a key contributor to many of Exelixis' most important milestones, including the discovery, development and introduction of cabozantinib, which he and the broader Exelixis team grew from an initial orphan drug indication into a global oncology franchise,” said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Exelixis. “Dana is an excellent choice to lead Exelixis' wide-ranging product development organization as the team maximizes the opportunities for our portfolio, which in addition to cabozantinib includes zanzalintinib, our third-generation oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is the subject of multiple pivotal trials, as well as our earlier stage pipeline of promising small molecules and biotherapeutics."

Dr. Aftab joined Exelixis in 1998, and since then has played a key role in the discovery and development of the company’s flagship medicine, CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), which is currently the leading tyrosine kinase inhibitor in the U.S. for both the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and advanced neuroendocrine tumors. During his tenure at Exelixis, Dr. Aftab held diverse roles across the company’s research and development organizations, and most recently served as Executive Vice President, Discovery and Translational Research and Chief Scientific Officer since December 2022. In that role he has overseen the development of the company’s early pipeline, as well as of the translational medicine and clinical pharmacology teams supporting work streams across the spectrum of discovery research and product development. Dr. Aftab holds a Ph.D. degree in pharmacology from Yale University and conducted postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley in the field of oncogene signaling.

Amy Peterson, M.D., who served as Executive Vice President, Product Development & Medical Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer since August 2023 has departed Exelixis.

About Exelixis
Exelixis is a globally ambitious oncology company innovating next-generation medicines and regimens at the forefront of cancer care. Powered by drug discovery and development excellence, we are rapidly evolving our product portfolio to target an expanding range of tumor types and indications with our clinically differentiated pipeline of small molecules and biotherapeutics. This comprehensive approach harnesses decades of robust investment in our science and partnerships to advance our investigational programs and extend the impact of our flagship commercial product, CABOMETYX^® (cabozantinib). Exelixis is driven by a bold scientific pursuit to create transformational treatments that give more patients hope for the future. For information about the company and its mission to help cancer patients recover stronger and live longer, visit www.exelixis.com, follow @ExelixisInc on X (Twitter), like Exelixis, Inc. on Facebook and follow Exelixis on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements related to Exelixis’ senior officer transitions. Any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements and are based upon Exelixis’ current plans, assumptions, beliefs, expectations, estimates and projections. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, factors affecting Exelixis discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in Exelixis’ Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 11, 2025, and in Exelixis’ subsequent filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Exelixis as of the date of this press release, and Exelixis undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, except as required by law.

Exelixis, the Exelixis logo and CABOMETYX are registered U.S. trademarks.