Another Amgen Exec Lands Gig at Fast-Growing Juno


November 3, 2015
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff

SEATTLE— Robert Azelby, a key executive at Amgen Biologics overseeing that company’s oncology business unit, has been tapped by Seattle-based Juno Therapeutics to serve as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Juno announced this morning.

Hans Bishop, Juno’s chief executive officer, said Azelby will play a key role as Juno nears regulatory approval of its CAR-T therapies.

“His experience in growing an impressive oncology business, including planning commercial strategy and overseeing multiple launches, will play a critical role in Juno’s next phase of growth,” Bishop said in a statement.

While at Amgen, Azelby oversaw that company’s oncology business unit representing over $6 billion in annual revenue with over 600 sales and marketing personnel. Since taking over leadership in May 2012, Azelby grew the business to be the second largest oncology division in the U.S., Juno said in its statement.

Juno is developing cell-based cancer immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor and high-affinity T cell receptor technologies to genetically engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer. In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Juno’s Investigational New Drug application for JCAR015 for treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which will allow the company to initiate Phase II clinical trials.

CAR T therapies appear to be particularly effective for leukemia and other blood cancers, with some researchers going so far as to call them cures. Studies have shown these treatments to eliminate all evidence of leukemia and lymphoma in anywhere from 40 percent to 90 percent of patients.

“I am excited to join Juno at a time when we have the opportunity to shape commercial strategies for a new and innovative class of product candidates that have the potential to benefit patients suffering with cancer. I look forward to building and leading a top-tier organization that will help bring these exciting medicines to patients,” Azelby said in a statement.

As Juno moves forward with its cancer therapies, Azelby will have to keep his eye out for other companies working in the field, including Novartis, Kite Pharma, Inc., bluebird bio, Cellectis S/A, and ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc.

Azelby spent 15 years at Amgen. During his tenure at that company he also served as vice president of Amgen’s U.S. oncology sales team, as well as vice president of the company’s North American commercial effectiveness unit.

In June, Juno’s oncology research was bolstered after Celgene Corporation’s took a $1 billion stake in the company to leverage combined immunology and oncology expertise to develop treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Amgen is in the process of shutting down its facilities in Washington State and several of its oncology researchers have jumped to Juno, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported.

Juno was spun out of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and has partnerships with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Seattle Children's Research Institute.

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