Athenex Names Timothy Cook as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Oncology

• Mr. Cook was Previously VP and Chief Operating Officer of Oncology at Lilly

BUFFALO, N.Y., July 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athenex, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATNX), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and related conditions, today announced the appointment of Timothy Cook as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Oncology. 

Mr. Cook joins Athenex to lead the commercialization efforts of the Company’s proprietary oncology products throughout the world.  In this new role, Mr. Cook will report to Mr. Jeffrey Yordon, Athenex’s Chief Operating Officer and President, and work closely with the already established commercial team. The addition of Mr. Cook will allow the Company to focus and advance its commercialization efforts, specifically in the oncology market, to support the strong pipeline of innovative proprietary products nearing launch in the United States and other global markets, including two products currently in Phase III clinical trials.  

Mr. Cook has accumulated a wealth of experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical space with a focus in oncology. He began his career with Bristol Myers in sales and quickly advanced within the company, holding various positions of leadership and increased responsibility. In 2000, Mr. Cook left Bristol Myers to join Lilly, where he was influential in building Lilly’s global oncology business. During his time at Lilly, Mr. Cook led multiple departments and played a critical role in the launch and commercialization of three oncology products in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, propelling Lilly to become a major player in the global oncology market. Mr. Cook was eventually named Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Oncology until retiring in 2017.

“We are delighted that Tim has accepted this critical role for our Company,” said Mr. Jeffrey Yordon, Athenex’s Chief Operating Officer. “Athenex has entered an important phase, in which two of our lead drug candidates are making significant Phase III clinical progress and we are now focusing on advancing our commercialization strategy to launch the products globally. Tim’s background aligns well with our current needs and we are looking forward to working together.”

Mr. Cook commented, “I am excited to join the Athenex family and bring my industry expertise to this already impressive commercial team. Athenex has made remarkable progress across its clinical programs with an acute focus towards improving the paradigm for cancer patients globally.”

About Athenex, Inc.

Founded in 2003, Athenex, Inc. is a global clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to becoming a leader in the discovery and development of next generation drugs for the treatment of cancer. Athenex is organized around three platforms, including an Oncology Innovation Platform, a Commercial Platform and a Global Supply Chain Platform. Athenex’s Oncology Innovation Platform generates clinical candidates through an extensive understanding of kinases, including novel binding sites and human absorption biology, as well as through the application of Athenex’s proprietary research and selection processes in the lab. The Company’s current clinical pipeline is derived from two different platform technologies Athenex calls Orascovery and Src Kinase Inhibition. The Orascovery platform is based on the novel oral P-glycoprotein pump inhibitor molecule HM30181A, through which Athenex is able to facilitate oral absorption of traditional cytotoxics, which Athenex believes may offer improved patient tolerability and efficacy as compared to IV administration of the same cytotoxics. The Orascovery platform was developed by Hanmi Pharmaceuticals and licensed exclusively to Athenex for all major worldwide territories except Korea, which is retained by Hanmi. The Src Kinase Inhibition platform refers to novel small molecule compounds that have multiple mechanisms of action, including the inhibition of the activity of Src Kinase and the inhibition of tubulin polymerization during cell division. Athenex believes the combination of these mechanisms of action provides a broader range of anti-cancer activity as compared to either mechanism of action alone. Athenex’s employees worldwide are dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients by creating more active and tolerable treatments. Athenex has offices in Buffalo and Clarence, New York; Cranford, New Jersey; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Hong Kong; Taipei, Taiwan and multiple locations in Chongqing, China.

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