SUZHOU, China, Dec. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CStone Pharmaceuticals ("CStone" or the "Company", HKEX: 2616) today announced the appointment of Ms. Shirley Zhao to the position of General Manager for Greater China and Head of Commercial. In this position, Ms. Zhao will be responsible for the commercialization of the Company's products and will report directly to Dr. Frank Jiang, Chairman and CEO of CStone.
Ms. Zhao is a seasoned industry leader with over 26 years of experience working at multiple multinational biopharmaceutical companies. Equipped with exceptional business acumen and strategic thinking, Ms. Zhao has effectively executed numerous critical initiatives. Before joining CStone, Ms. Zhao was the Country GM for Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) China, where she successfully led the launch of Opdivo®, the first anti-PD-1 antibody to enter the China market.
With her deep insights into China's pharmaceutical operating environment, market access, and government affairs, Ms. Zhao spearheaded the development of the rare disease, oncology, and medical aesthetics markets in China. Her outstanding leadership and execution skills led to the successful launches and commercialization of several major brands in China, including Opdivo®, Botox®, Alimta®, Gemzar®, Taxol®, and Juvederm®.
Prior to BMS, Ms. Zhao served as Country GM at Genzyme and Allergan. Through her bold strategic planning and effective organization building, Genzyme and Allergan have become market leaders in their respective fields and made great strides in their businesses. Ms. Zhao has always prioritized to the cultivation and development of talents, and has a proven track record in building strong company cultures and corporate governance.
Early in her career, Ms. Zhao mainly focused in Oncology, including 10 years at Eli Lilly and 5 years at BMS. As a representative of the pharmaceutical industry, she made tremendous contributions to the formation and development of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology. In addition, Ms. Zhao was also a co-founder and advocate of the China Lung Cancer Summit, one of the most followed events in the field of lung cancer.
Ms. Zhao is an obstetrician by training and received an MBA degree from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. As the first Chinese national serving on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, Ms. Zhao twice led the delegations from AMCHAM Shanghai on "Door Knocking Trips" to Washington, DC, in 2016 and 2017, to promote trade and business collaborations between China and the U.S.
"CStone is at the critical transition from a clinical-stage biotech to a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company. Earlier this year, we submitted a New Drug Application in Taiwan, seeking approval for Tibsovo® as the first drug to treat relapsed or refectory acute myeloid leukemia. We plan to submit NDAs for a number of products and indications in Mainland China in 2020," said Dr. Frank Jiang, Chairman and CEO of CStone. "We have already built a highly capable R&D team. I am confident that the addition of Ms. Zhao, a seasoned industry leader with a proven track record, will propel CStone closer to our vision of becoming globally recognized as a leading Chinese biopharmaceutical company by bringing innovative oncology therapies to cancer patients worldwide."
CStone is conducting thirteen registrational studies, six of which are for the Company's anti-PD-L1 antibody. The indications include some of the most high-incidence cancers in China, such as lung cancer, gastric cancer, and esophageal cancer. Five of the Company's drug candidates are at pivotal trials. Ms. Zhao will be responsible for building a highly effective commercialization team at CStone and preparing the Company for the upcoming product launches.
"Both Dr. Frank Jiang and I entered the industry from medical practice. I share Dr. Jiang's vision for CStone, which is to address the unmet clinical needs in high-incidence cancers in China through homegrown innovation, and to impact the world by launching more effective treatments for cancer patients," said Shirley Zhao. "I am very impressed by CStone's rich pipeline and what the Company has achieved since its establishment. Moreover, CStone's world-class management team is another major attraction that influenced my decision. I truly believe in CStone's future and it is my privilege to be a part of this exciting growth story."
About CStone
CStone Pharmaceuticals (HKEX: 2616) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative immuno-oncology and molecularly-targeted drugs to address unmet medical needs for cancer patients in China and worldwide. Since the Company's inception in 2015, CStone has assembled a world-class management team that has a full spectrum of complementary skillsets from preclinical research to clinical development and commercialization. With combination therapies as a core strategy, the Company has built a rich oncology pipeline of 15 oncology drug candidates. Currently five late-stage drug candidates are at pivotal trials. With an experienced team, a rich pipeline, a robust clinical development-driven business model, and substantial funding, CStone's vision is to become globally recognized as a leading Chinese biopharmaceutical company by bringing innovative and differentiated oncology therapies to cancer patients worldwide.
For more information about CStone Pharmaceuticals, please visit: www.cstonepharma.com
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