Kinex Pharmaceuticals Appoints Executives To Clinical Leadership Team

BUFFALO, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kinex Pharmaceuticals, (Kinex), a leading specialty biotech focused on the development and commercialization of next generation oral therapies for cancer diseases has appointed Dr. Rudolf Kwan, as Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Wing-Kai Chan as Head of Clinical Operations- Asia/Pacific. Kinex currently has four oral oncology drug candidates allowed in the clinic and the appointments of Dr. Kwan and Dr. Chan adds significant expertise in clinical oncology drug development to the Kinex Executive Team. Kinex CEO Dr. Johnson Lau commented, "We are thrilled to add Dr. Kwan and Dr. Chan to the Executive Team. These appointments are very consistent with the continued evolution of Kinex into a Global Drug Development Organization as we progress several drugs further in the clinic. In addition, their clinical drug development experience spans across multiple continents and ideally positions them to lead our clinical programs and strategies and also work collaboratively with the Kinex partnerships previously announced."

Dr. Rudolf Kwan stated, "Kinex has assembled a very impressive Leadership Team and global drug development strategy. I am very pleased to contribute to that effort in my capacity as Chief Medical Officer. Also, with the appointment of Dr. Wing-Kai Chan, I am honored to work with such an esteemed colleague. Dr. Chan's experience in clinical oncology and pharmaceutical drug development in Asia is critical to Kinex's goals globally." Dr. Chan commented, "I am excited about the Kinex pipeline of oral anti-cancer drug candidates and look forward to focusing my remaining career on developing their new drugs for cancer patients."

Dr. David Hangauer, Kinex Chief Scientific Officer commented, "Dr. Chan has an impressive background with patients and research in Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Kwan's clinical and regulatory experiences in pharmaceutical drug development are key ingredients for our Company as we continue to further our goals advancing more drug candidates into the clinic. With our previous appointment of Dr. Daniel Von Hoff as Chair of Kinex's Clinical Advisory Committee, we have assembled a world class team of experienced clinical oncology drug development professionals."

Dr. Kwan's experience includes more than 25 years of clinical drug development experience and prior to joining Kinex had responsibility for all clinical development globally as Head of Clinical Operations for USA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific at Schering-Plough Research Institute in USA. Dr. Kwan is a graduate of the Medical Faculty of the University of Hong Kong and a member of the Royal College of Physicians, London and will be based in New Jersey.

Dr. Chan's previous roles included Director, National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research at the National University Hospital, Taiwan, and Medical Director in Roche Asia/Pacific and in that capacity, participated in the clinical development of a number of anti-cancer drugs such as: Rituxan, Herceptin and Xeloda, to name a few. Dr Chan is a medical graduate of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. He is also a member of American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Chan has authored many publications in clinical oncology over the course of his distinguished career. Dr. Chan will be based in Taipei, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

About KINEX:

Founded in 2004, Kinex is led by a strong, experienced Management Team and Board of Directors with a track record of achieving value-creating milestones and cumulative experience of over 150 years in both the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. This includes the filing of 11 NDAs and more than 20 INDs with the Food and Drug Administration and the development of 10 marketed products, including several blockbusters. Kinex has utilized the proprietary platform technologies Mimetica, Opal, and Orascovery to discover new compounds and to build a pipeline of drug candidates with unique mechanisms that address unmet medical needs with large market potential.

SOURCE Kinex Pharmaceuticals