Tom Garner Joins Lexicon as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Tom Garner joins Lexicon Pharmaceuticals as senior vice president and chief commercial officer.

Mr. Garner brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Oct. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX) today announced that Tom Garner is joining the company as senior vice president and chief commercial officer, effective October 9, 2023.

Mr. Garner has over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, having started his career in the United Kingdom with roles of increasing seniority at Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly before joining Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in 2002. During his time at BMS, Mr. Garner held a broad array of roles throughout BMS’ commercial organization including positions at local, country, and global levels, and across a diverse range of brands and therapeutic areas. In his most recent role, Mr. Garner was the senior vice president and head of the U.S. Cardiovascular and Established Brands business unit, the single largest business unit across the BMS enterprise with reported total revenues in excess of $10 billion. In this role, he had overarching responsibility for several key brands including ELIQUIS^® (apixaban), the most prescribed oral, branded medicine in the United States, and CAMZYOS^® (mavacamten), BMS’ first-in-class treatment for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In addition, he also held responsibility for BMS’ established brands portfolio, which includes medicines such as ABRAXANE^® (paclitaxel) and NULOJIX^® (belatacept). Prior to this role, Mr. Garner was the global commercial lead for BMS’ lung and head and neck cancer programs, where he led the successful 1L NSCLC global launches of OPDIVO^® (nivolumab) and YERVOY^® (ipilimumab). Before moving to the United States in 2015, Mr. Garner was the General Manager for BMS Denmark, having spent the first 10 years of his career working in different sales, management and marketing positions across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“We are very excited that Mr. Garner is joining Lexicon as our chief commercial officer,” said Lonnel Coats, Lexicon’s chief executive officer. “His overall breadth and depth of commercial and general management experience, with notable success in the cardiovascular space and leading launches, makes him a particularly valuable addition to our management team as we continue to drive the launch of INPEFA^® (sotagliflozin) for the treatment of heart failure. As the leader of our commercial organization, Mr. Garner will have a critical role in ensuring we are effectively executing on our launch strategy for INPEFA and delivering against the promise we believe this differentiated brand can have for patients.”

“I am very enthusiastic about joining the Lexicon leadership team and leading the commercial organization. I’m particularly excited to leverage my expertise for the ongoing launch of INPEFA,” said Mr. Garner. “My vision for the brand and the clear commercial potential for INPEFA, coupled with the potential opportunity to bring LX9211 to market for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain following late-stage clinical development, is what attracted me to Lexicon, and I cannot wait to step into this role and get started.”

Mr. Garner holds a BSc (Hons) degree in International Business Management from the Royal Agricultural University (UK) and a certification in General Management from INSEAD (France).

About Lexicon Pharmaceuticals

Lexicon is a biopharmaceutical company with a mission of pioneering medicines that transform patients’ lives. Through its Genome5000™ program, Lexicon scientists studied the role and function of nearly 5,000 genes and identified more than 100 protein targets with significant therapeutic potential in a range of diseases. Through the precise targeting of these proteins, Lexicon is pioneering the discovery and development of innovative medicines to treat diseases safely and effectively. Lexicon has advanced multiple medicines to market and has a pipeline of promising drug candidates in heart failure, neuropathic pain, diabetes and metabolism and other indications. For additional information, please visit www.lexpharma.com.

About INPEFA^® (sotagliflozin)

Discovered using Lexicon’s unique approach to gene science, INPEFA^® (sotagliflozin) is an oral inhibitor of two proteins responsible for glucose regulation known as sodium-glucose cotransporter types 2 and 1 (SGLT2 and SGLT1). SGLT2 is responsible for glucose reabsorption by the kidney and SGLT1 is responsible for glucose absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. INPEFA has been studied in multiple patient populations encompassing heart failure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease in clinical studies involving approximately 20,000 patients.

INDICATION

INPEFA is indicated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and urgent heart failure visit in adults with:

• heart failure or
• type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and other cardiovascular risk factors

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Dosing: Assess renal function and volume status and, if necessary, correct volume depletion prior to initiation of INPEFA. INPEFA dosing for patients with decompensated heart failure may begin when patients are hemodynamically stable, including when hospitalized or immediately upon discharge.

Contraindications: INPEFA is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to any component.

Warnings and Precautions:

Ketoacidosis: INPEFA increases the risk of ketoacidosis in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and pancreatic disorders are also risk factors. The risk of ketoacidosis may be greater with higher doses. There have been postmarketing reports of fatal events of ketoacidosis in patients with type 2 diabetes using sodium glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Before initiating INPEFA, assess risk factors for ketoacidosis. Consider ketone monitoring in patients with T1DM and consider ketone monitoring in others at risk for ketoacidosis, and educate patients on the signs/symptoms of ketoacidosis. Patients receiving INPEFA may require monitoring and temporary discontinuation of therapy in clinical situations known to predispose to ketoacidosis.

Assess patients who present with signs and symptoms of metabolic acidosis or ketoacidosis, regardless of blood glucose level. If suspected, discontinue INPEFA, evaluate, and treat promptly. Monitor patients for resolution of ketoacidosis before restarting INPEFA.

Volume Depletion: INPEFA can cause intravascular volume depletion which may sometimes manifest as symptomatic hypotension or acute transient changes in creatinine. There have been post-marketing reports of acute kidney injury, some requiring hospitalization and dialysis, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving SGLT2 inhibitors. Patients with impaired renal function (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2), elderly patients, or patients on loop diuretics may be at increased risk for volume depletion or hypotension. Before initiating INPEFA in patients with one or more of these characteristics, assess volume status and renal function, and monitor for signs and symptoms of hypotension during therapy.

Urosepsis and Pyelonephritis: Treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors, including INPEFA, increases the risk for urinary tract infections. Serious urinary tract infections including urosepsis and pyelonephritis requiring hospitalization have been reported. Evaluate patients for signs and symptoms of urinary tract infections and treat promptly.

Hypoglycemia with Concomitant Use with Insulin and Insulin Secretagogues: Insulin and insulin secretagogues are known to cause hypoglycemia. INPEFA may increase the risk of hypoglycemia when combined with insulin or an insulin secretagogue. Therefore, a lower dose of insulin or insulin secretagogue may be required to minimize the risk of hypoglycemia when used with INPEFA.

Necrotizing Fasciitis of the Perineum (Fournier’s Gangrene): Reports of Fournier’s Gangrene, a rare but serious and life-threatening necrotizing infection requiring urgent surgical intervention, have been identified in post-marketing surveillance in patients with diabetes mellitus receiving SGLT2 inhibitors. Assess patients who present with pain, tenderness, erythema, or swelling in the genital or perineal area, along with fever or malaise. If suspected, start treatment immediately with broad-spectrum antibiotics and, if necessary, surgical debridement. Discontinue INPEFA, closely monitor patient signs and symptoms, and provide appropriate alternative therapy for heart failure.

Genital Mycotic Infections: INPEFA increases the risk of genital mycotic infections. Monitor and treat as appropriate.

Urinary Glucose Test and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) Assay: these are not reliable for patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors. Use alternative testing methods to monitor glucose levels.

Common Adverse Reactions: the most commonly reported adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 5%) were urinary tract infection, volume depletion, diarrhea, and hypoglycemia.

Drug Interactions:

• Digoxin: Monitor patients appropriately as there is an increase in the exposure of digoxin when coadministered with INPEFA 400 mg.
• Uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) Inducer: The coadministration of rifampicin, an inducer of UGTs, with sotagliflozin resulted in a decrease in the exposure of sotagliflozin.
• Lithium: Concomitant use of an SGLT2 inhibitor with lithium may decrease serum lithium concentrations. Monitor serum lithium concentration more frequently during INPEFA initiation and with dosage changes.
  

Use in Specific Populations:

• Pregnancy and Lactation: INPEFA is not recommended during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, nor while breastfeeding.
• Geriatric Use: No INPEFA dosage change is recommended based on age. No overall differences in efficacy were detected between these patients and younger patients, and other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients, but greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out. Elderly patients may be at increased risk for volume depletion adverse reactions, including hypotension.
• Renal Impairment: INPEFA was evaluated in patients with chronic kidney disease (eGFR 25 to 60 mL/min/1.73 m²) and in patients with heart failure with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m². The safety profile of INPEFA across eGFR subgroups in these studies was consistent with the known safety profile. There was an increase in volume-related adverse events (e.g., hypotension, dizziness) in patients with eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73m² relative to the overall safety population. Efficacy and safety studies with INPEFA did not enroll patients with an eGFR less than 25 mL/min/1.73 m2 or on dialysis. After starting therapy in the studies, patients were discontinued if eGFR fell below 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 or were initiated on chronic dialysis.
• Hepatic Impairment: INPEFA is not recommended in patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment.

Click here for full Prescribing Information.

About LX9211

Discovered using Lexicon’s unique approach to gene science, LX9211 is a potent, orally delivered, selective, investigational small molecule inhibitor of adaptor-associated kinase 1 (AAK1). Lexicon identified AAK1 in its target discovery efforts as a promising approach for the treatment of neuropathic pain and identified LX9211 and another development candidate in a neuroscience drug discovery alliance with Bristol-Myers Squibb from which Lexicon holds exclusive development and commercialization rights. Preclinical studies of LX9211 demonstrated central nervous system penetration and reduction in pain behavior in models of neuropathic pain without affecting opiate pathways. LX9211 has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for development in diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” including statements relating to the therapeutic and commercial potential, research and clinical development and regulatory status of INPEFA^® (sotagliflozin). In addition, this press release also contains forward looking statements relating to Lexicon’s financial position and long-term outlook on its business, growth and future operating results, discovery and development of products, strategic alliances and intellectual property, as well as other matters that are not historical facts or information. All forward-looking statements are based on management’s current assumptions and expectations and involve risks, uncertainties and other important factors, specifically including Lexicon’s ability to meet its capital requirements, successfully commercialize INPEFA in heart failure on the timeline and/or at the prices currently contemplated or at all, conduct preclinical and clinical development and obtain necessary regulatory approvals of INPEFA (in other indications), LX9211 and its other drug candidates on its anticipated timelines, achieve its operational objectives, obtain patent protection for its discoveries and establish strategic alliances, as well as additional factors relating to manufacturing, intellectual property rights, and the therapeutic or commercial value of its drug candidates. Any of these risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause Lexicon’s actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Information identifying such important factors is contained under “Risk Factors” in Lexicon’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and other subsequent disclosure documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lexicon undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CAMZYOS^®, ABRAXANE^®, NULOJIX^®, OPDIVO^® and YERVOY^® are registered trademarks of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

For Investor Inquiries:
Investor Relations
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
lexinvest@lexpharma.com

For Media Inquiries:
Alina Cocuzza
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
acocuzza@lexpharma.com

FAQ

Who is joining Lexicon Pharmaceuticals?

Tom Garner is joining as senior vice president and chief commercial officer.

What is Tom Garner's experience in the pharmaceutical industry?

He has over 25 years of experience, including roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

What brands did Tom Garner oversee at Bristol Myers Squibb?

He was responsible for key brands such as ELIQUIS and CAMZYOS.

What is Lexicon Pharmaceuticals' launch strategy?

They are focused on the launch of INPEFA for the treatment of heart failure.

What other potential opportunity does Lexicon Pharmaceuticals have?

They are developing LX9211 for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain.

What is Tom Garner's educational background?

He has a BSc degree in International Business Management and a certification in General Management.