Faron Pharmaceuticals has appointed Dr. Birge Berns as its interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective from September 22, 2023. Dr. Berns, who has over 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles in global pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi Aventis and Johnson & Johnson, will be based in the UK. She will be responsible for advancing the clinical development program for Faron's immunotherapy asset, bexmarilimab, which is being developed for patients with aggressive hematological malignancies. Dr. Marie-Louise Fjllskog, the outgoing CMO, is proposed to continue playing a key role in bexmarilimab's development as a Non-Executive Director on the Company's Board.
Dr. Berns has a background in oncology, clinical medicine, rheumatology, and immunology. During her time at Johnson & Johnson, she established and led the European clinical hemato-oncology group for Centocor and the J&J Immunology group. She also maintains close ties with the Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK, where she obtained her Master's degree in Oncology.
Dr. Berns is currently the VP, Head of Clinical Development & Regulatory Strategy at tranScrip Limited and serves as Chair of the Policy & Communication Group of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, UK. She expressed her enthusiasm for accelerating the development of bexmarilimab, stating that it has the potential to usher in a new era of cancer treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.
Faron CEO, Dr. Markku Jalkanen, expressed his confidence in Dr. Berns' qualifications and expertise, stating that she is well-suited to advance the company's plans and progress the development of bexmarilimab. He also thanked Dr. Fjllskog for her contributions as CMO and expressed his pleasure that she will continue to support the company in her proposed role as a Non-Executive Director.
Bexmarilimab is Faron's wholly owned immunotherapy designed to target myeloid cell function and ignite the immune system. It binds to Clever-1, an immunosuppressive receptor found on macrophages, and alters the tumor microenvironment, reprogramming macrophages from an immunosuppressive state to an immunostimulatory one. This primes the immune system to attack tumors and sensitizes cancer cells to standard care treatments. Bexmarilimab is currently being investigated in Phase I/II clinical trials for hematological cancers in combination with other standard treatments.