TLC Appoints George Spencer-Green, MD, MS, as Chief Medical Officer

TAIPEI, Taiwan and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taiwan Liposome Company, Ltd. (Nasdaq: TLC, TWO: 4152), a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel nanomedicines designed to target areas of unmet medical need in osteoarthritis, pain management, ophthalmology and oncology, today announced the appointment of George Spencer-Green, MD, MS, as TLC’s new Chief Medical Officer. With more than three decades of clinical medicine and drug development experience, Dr. Spencer-Green will serve as a member of the TLC Management Team and guide the company in its clinical and regulatory activities.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Spencer-Green to the TLC family and look forward to his capable leadership as we transition into a late-stage company with the advancement of our osteoarthritis program through the clinic,” commented TLC President George Yeh. “As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Spencer-Green will play an integral role in the clinical development strategies of all our programs. I am confident that his expertise will help guide the advancement of our clinical trial designs and executions.”

“As TLC is at an important stage in its growth, I’m extremely excited to join TLC and help lead the continued development of its strong pipeline,” said Dr. Spencer-Green. “The statistical significant findings of durable pain relief shown in the Phase 2 trial for TLC599 in osteoarthritis demonstrate a promising and differentiated treatment profile. I believe TLC599 is uniquely positioned to address unmet needs for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain. I look forward to advancing the company’s ongoing clinical trials for its lead programs in pain management, as well as initiating other programs in ophthalmology and oncology.”

Dr. Spencer-Green brings with him experience as the prior Vice President and clinical head of Pfizer’s biosimilars development program, where he led the team that designed and initiated clinical development plans from Phase 1 to Phase 3 for five assets. Prior to Pfizer, he served as the Senior Medical Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he led the design and execution of clinical development programs in rheumatoid arthritis and cystic fibrosis.  Prior to Vertex, he was the Global Medical Director at Abbott Laboratories, and was the clinical lead for the rheumatoid arthritis registration and long-term extension programs for Humira. At Immunex Corporation, where he worked prior to Abbott Laboratories, he was Franchise Medical Director for Enbrel, the first targeted biologic treatment approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Prior to his achievements in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, Dr. Spencer-Green served as Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Washington Medical School, Dartmouth Medical School and University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Dr. Spencer-Green received his BA from Oberlin College, his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and his MS in Clinical Evaluative Science from Dartmouth College.  

Dr. Spencer-Green is a leading board-certified figure in the fields of internal medicine, rheumatology, and allergy and immunology. He has authored over 43 publications, 2 book chapters and 96 abstracts. Dr. Spencer-Green received the Morely Award for Scientific Achievement in 2018 and the Immunex Emerald Award in 2000. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology, and an invited reviewer for prestigious publications including Arthritis and Rheumatism, Journal of Rheumatology, and Annals of Internal Medicine.

About TLC

TLC (Nasdaq: TLC, TWO: 4152) is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of novel nanomedicines that maximize the potential of its proprietary lipid-assembled drug delivery platform (LipAD™). TLC believes that its deep experience with liposome science allows TLC to combine onset speed and benefit duration, and improve active drug concentrations while decreasing unwanted systemic exposures. TLC’s BioSeizer technology is designed to enable local sustained release of therapeutic agents at the site of disease or injury; its NanoX active drug loading technology is designed to alter the systemic exposure of the drug, potentially reducing dosing frequency and enhancing distribution of liposome-encapsulated active agents to the desired site. These technologies are versatile in the choice of active pharmaceutical ingredients and scalable with respect to manufacturing. TLC has a diverse, wholly owned portfolio of therapeutics that target areas of unmet medical need in pain management, ophthalmology, and oncology. TLC is consistently ranked in the top 5% among all listed companies in Taiwan’s Corporate Governance Evaluations. 

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding TLC’s expectations regarding the clinical development of TLC599, the clinical benefits of TLC599 for people with osteoarthritis, and the scope of TLC’s clinical programs. Words such as “may,” “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend” and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, assumptions, uncertainties and factors, including risks that the outcome of any clinical trial is inherently uncertain and TLC599 or any of our other product candidates may prove to be unsafe or ineffective, or may not achieve commercial approval.  Other risks are described in the Risk Factors section of TLC’s prospectus dated November 21, 2018 filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on TLC’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, TLC expressly disclaims any responsibility to update any forward-looking statement contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.