Rocket Pharmaceuticals Appoints Martin L. Wilson as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) has appointed Martin L. Wilson as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Senior Vice President. With nearly 20 years of experience in the life sciences sector, Wilson will enhance Rocket's legal and compliance capabilities. His previous roles include General Counsel at Ichnos Sciences and Teligent, Inc. CEO Gaurav Shah emphasized that Wilson's expertise is crucial as the company aims to expand its gene therapy pipeline for rare childhood disorders. This leadership change is expected to strengthen Rocket's operational framework.

Positive

• Appointment of Martin L. Wilson adds significant legal and compliance experience to the leadership team.
• Wilson's expertise in life sciences is expected to strengthen Rocket's capabilities as it expands its gene therapy pipeline.

Negative

• None.

CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT), a clinical-stage company advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies for rare childhood disorders, today announces the appointment of Martin L. Wilson as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Vice President. Mr. Wilson brings nearly 20 years of legal, compliance and executive experience and accomplishment within the life sciences industry. Mr. Wilson will be responsible for the Legal and Compliance functions and serve as a key member of the leadership team.

“The Rocket family is thrilled to welcome Martin to our talented executive leadership team as we advance our world-class pipeline of gene therapies and unlock cures for patients facing devastating rare disease,” said Gaurav Shah, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Pharma. “Martin’s vast legal and compliance expertise, coupled with exceptional leadership experiences at life science companies of varying sizes, scales our existing capabilities as we rapidly expand in support of our ambition to seek gene therapy cures.”

Prior to joining Rocket, Mr. Wilson was General Counsel and Chief Corporate Officer at Ichnos Sciences, where he oversaw Legal, Compliance, Business Development, Human Resources and IT. Mr. Wilson helped establish Ichnos as an independent corporate entity and set up its corporate structure. Before Ichnos, Mr. Wilson served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Corporate Secretary and Head of Human Resources at Teligent, Inc. Prior to Teligent, he was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Endo Pharmaceuticals following the acquisition of Par Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Wilson held multiple roles of increasing responsibility at Par over the course of 11 years, including Chief Compliance Officer.

“Rocket’s dynamic culture, long-term vision and unyielding devotion to patients drew me to this opportunity,” said Mr. Wilson. “I’m excited to work with the Rocket leadership team and contribute to the company’s success as it advances first-in-class gene therapies for rare, devastating diseases.”

Earlier in his career, Mr. Wilson held a role in the Licensing group at Schering-Plough. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals Leadership
The Rocket leadership team is comprised of seasoned industry veterans with rich and extensive experience in drug development and approvals across public and private pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of various sizes. Leadership team members have led the development and approval of numerous gene therapy and rare disease drugs on the market for previously unmet medical needs and have served in significant roles within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Uniquely, Rocket’s multi-platform gene therapy approach necessitates the leadership of two Chief Development Officers, one specializing in lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy and a second specializing in adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy.

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) is advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies that correct the root cause of complex and rare childhood disorders. The Company’s platform-agnostic approach enables it to design the best therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options for patients afflicted with rare genetic diseases. Rocket's clinical programs using lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia, and Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO), a bone marrow-derived disorder. Rocket’s first clinical program using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is for Danon Disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. For more information about Rocket, please visit www.rocketpharma.com.

Rocket Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Various statements in this release concerning Rocket’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket’s expectations regarding the potential for RP-A501 to treat Danon Disease, Rocket’s expectations regarding its guidance for 2021 in light of COVID-19, the safety and effectiveness of RP-A501, the expected timing and data readouts of Rocket’s ongoing and planned clinical trials, Rocket’s plans for the advancement of its Danon Disease program following the lifting of the FDA’s clinical hold and additional data announcement and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "will give," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "suggest" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket’s ability to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on its business operations and take steps to ensure the safety of patients, families and employees, the interest from patients and families for participation in each of Rocket’s ongoing trials, our expectations regarding the delays and impact of COVID-19 on clinical sites, patient enrollment, trial timelines and data readouts, our expectations regarding our drug supply for our ongoing and anticipated trials, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket’s dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Rocket’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed March 1, 2021 with the SEC. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005295/en/

Media

Kevin Giordano

Director, Corporate Communications

kgiordano@rocketpharma.com

Investors

Mayur Kasetty, M.D., M.B.A.

Director, Business Development & Operations

investors@rocketpharma.com

Source: Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

FAQ

Who is Martin L. Wilson and what is his role at Rocket Pharmaceuticals?

Martin L. Wilson has been appointed as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Senior Vice President at Rocket Pharmaceuticals, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in the life sciences sector.

What is the significance of Martin L. Wilson's appointment for Rocket Pharmaceuticals?

His appointment is expected to enhance Rocket's legal and compliance capabilities, crucial for the company's expansion in gene therapies.

What are Rocket Pharmaceuticals' plans following the leadership change?

Rocket aims to advance its gene therapy pipeline for rare childhood disorders, with Wilson playing a key role in legal and compliance functions.

How does Martin L. Wilson's experience relate to Rocket Pharmaceuticals' business?

Wilson's extensive background in life sciences and compliance will support Rocket's ambition to develop and bring new therapies to market.