Xenikos Appoints Hassan Aly, MD, PhD as Chief Medical Officer

NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, Sept. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xenikos B.V., a privately-held biotechnology company that develops innovative immunotherapies for treating patients with severe immune diseases and post-transplant rejection, today announced the appointment of Hassan Aly, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Aly brings over three decades of practice in the treatment of hematological malignancies, including allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and 10 years of experience in the clinical development of drugs for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma patients. In his role at Xenikos, he will provide medical input and oversight on the Company’s clinical and regulatory development strategy and execution, including assessing and interpreting the clinical safety data of the Phase 3 study evaluating T-Guard^® for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD).

“We are delighted to appoint someone with Dr. Aly’s expertise and deep experience in allogeneic HSCT to the Xenikos leadership team during this exciting time for T-Guard,” said Ypke van Oosterhout, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Xenikos. “His deep knowledge of hematological disorders and clinical research from both an industry and academic perspective is a valuable contribution as we prepare to execute on the upcoming Phase 3 clinical study evaluating T-Guard versus ruxolitinib in patients with SR-aGVHD. His extensive knowledge in advancing programs through development and into the commercial arena will be instrumental to our overarching corporate objectives during the years ahead.”

“I am honored to be joining the dedicated and talented team at Xenikos,” said Dr. Aly. “Despite the advancements in the HSCT field, there is still significant unmet need for most patients suffering from SR-aGVHD. As such, I am particularly impressed by T-Guard’s high response rate of 60% observed among patients with Grade 3/4 SR-aGVHD in the completed Phase 1/2 study and expanded access program. I am eager to contribute to the development of an innovative product that is potentially more efficacious than current treatment alternatives and look forward to the execution of the large Phase 3 study in patients with Grade 3/4 SR-aGVHD that is expected to start later this year.”

Prior to Xenikos, Dr. Aly most recently provided commercial, medical and strategic consultancy services to a variety of life science companies. Before that, he served in leadership roles across clinical development, medical affairs, and pharmacovigilance at several leading pharma and biotech companies including AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, and Quintiles. Throughout his tenure in these roles, Dr. Aly oversaw the protocol design, conducted and monitored the efficacy and safety evaluation of 55 Phase 1-4 clinical studies of various biological and cell therapy agents including antibody drug conjugates, immune check point inhibitors, cancer vaccines and T-cell therapy in patients with hematological malignancies. He began his career practicing medicine as a hematologist and lecturer/Professor at University hospitals and medical schools in Germany and UK. Dr. Aly received his medical degree in Hematology at Hannover Medical School followed by a three-year Hematology HSCT Fellowship at Hamburg University Eppendorf Hospital in Germany. He received his PhD in clinical medicine from the Hematology Department at the University of Cambridge Clinical School, UK.

About Xenikos

Xenikos develops innovative immunotherapies based on conjugated antibodies. This novel therapeutic approach helps reset the immune system in patients who have severe immune diseases or have developed post-transplantation rejection. A randomized Phase 3 registration trial evaluating the Company’s flagship product, T-Guard^® for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD) is expected to begin in the US and Europe in the second half of 2021.

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Contacts

Corporate:
Xenikos B.V.
Ypke van Oosterhout, CEO
media@xenikos.com

Investors/Media:
Argot Partners
Sam Martin
+1 212 600 1902
xenikos@argotpartners.com