NEWTON, Mass., March 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:KPTI), an oncology-focused pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of John Demaree as Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, Mr. Demaree will lead Karyopharm’s commercial strategy and operations, including the continued commercialization of oral XPOVIO® (selinexor), the Company’s first-in-class, Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compound.
“We are excited to welcome John to Karyopharm as we continue to execute on the commercialization of XPOVIO and look forward to key milestones in 2020 that could allow us to impact the lives of an increasing number of patients,” said Michael G. Kauffman, MD, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Karyopharm. “John’s leadership and depth of experience launching and growing new oncology medicines will be essential as we continue to build our commercial strategy, team and capabilities for the future.”
“Karyopharm is an exciting company with significant potential to serve patients,” said Mr. Demaree. “I am impressed by the Company’s patient-focused culture and the strength of the leadership team. I look forward to joining this talented group to continue building the commercial organization, a vitally important mission.”
Mr. Demaree brings more than 20 years of oncology experience, building commercial capabilities and leading multiple successful product launches. Prior to joining Karyopharm, Mr. Demaree served as Chief Commercial Officer at G1 Therapeutics where he developed the commercial vision for the company’s oncology assets and built and led its integrated commercial function. Prior to G1, Mr. Demaree served as Vice President, Oncology Marketing at Astellas, where he was responsible for establishing and leading the oncology marketing function, including the successful launch of Xtandi® (enzalutamide). Mr. Demaree oversaw commercial strategy and execution for two approved products and three compounds in development, as well as market access and reimbursement strategy, product lifecycle management and external commercial collaborations. Previously, Mr. Demaree led oncology business development and alliance management at Abbott. He began his career serving in marketing leadership positions at Novartis and Eli Lilly. Mr. Demaree holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Indiana University and a B.S. in Marketing, also from Indiana University.
About XPOVIO® (selinexor)
XPOVIO is a first-in-class, oral Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compound. XPOVIO functions by selectively binding to and inhibiting the nuclear export protein exportin 1 (XPO1, also called CRM1). XPOVIO blocks the nuclear export of tumor suppressor, growth regulatory and anti-inflammatory proteins, leading to accumulation of these proteins in the nucleus and enhancing their anti-cancer activity in the cell. The forced nuclear retention of these proteins can counteract a multitude of the oncogenic pathways that, unchecked, allow cancer cells with severe DNA damage to continue to grow and divide in an unrestrained fashion. Karyopharm received accelerated U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of XPOVIO in July 2019 in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome inhibitors, at least two immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Karyopharm has also submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) with a request for conditional approval of selinexor. A supplemental New Drug Application was recently submitted to the FDA seeking accelerated approval for selinexor as a new treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and selinexor has received Fast Track and Orphan designation from the FDA for this patient population. Selinexor is also being evaluated in several other mid-and later-phase clinical trials across multiple cancer indications, including in multiple myeloma in a pivotal, randomized Phase 3 study in combination with Velcade® (bortezomib) and low-dose dexamethasone (BOSTON), for which Karyopharm announced positive top-line results in March 2020. Additional, ongoing trials for selinexor include as a potential backbone therapy in combination with approved myeloma therapies (STOMP), in liposarcoma (SEAL) and in endometrial cancer (SIENDO), among others. Additional Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies are ongoing or currently planned, including multiple studies in combination with approved therapies in a variety of tumor types to further inform Karyopharm's clinical development priorities for selinexor. Additional clinical trial information for selinexor is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.
