Rafael Holdings Appoints Mimi Huizinga, MD, MPH as Chief Development and Medical Officer
Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RFL) announced the appointment of Mary Margaret (Mimi) Huizinga, MD, MPH as Chief Development and Medical Officer, effective October 18, 2021. This strategic move reflects the importance of the company’s late-stage clinical programs in developing cancer metabolism therapies. Huizinga brings extensive experience from her role at Novartis and a proven track record in oncology development. Her leadership is expected to enhance clinical efforts, particularly as the company approaches a critical phase with the Phase 3 trial data readout for CPI-613® in metastatic pancreatic cancer.
- Appointment of Dr. Mimi Huizinga as Chief Development and Medical Officer may strengthen leadership in clinical programs.
- Dr. Huizinga's extensive experience in oncology development could enhance the company's strategic direction.
- Concerns regarding continuity during the transition to new leadership may affect operational stability.
NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rafael Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: RFL), a pharmaceutical holding company focused on developing novel cancer metabolism therapeutics through its Barer Institute and investment in Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today the appointment of Mary Margaret (Mimi) Huizinga, MD, MPH as Chief Development and Medical Officer, effective October 18, 2021.
"Dr. Huizinga's appointment reflects the importance of the company's late-stage clinical programs," said Ameet Mallik, Chief Executive Officer of Rafael Holdings, Inc. "Her development and regulatory experience within the pharmaceutical industry, along with her deep oncology expertise and proven track record makes her an ideal addition to our leadership team as we continue to develop cancer metabolism therapies."
Dr. Huizinga recently served as the Head of US Oncology Medical for Novartis, overseeing the clinical development and medical affairs activities of the Novartis oncology portfolio in the US. Before leading the medical function, Dr. Huizinga built and led the strategic data and digital function in the US Oncology business unit at Novartis. The strategic data and digital function included real-world evidence, healthcare economics and clinical and value evidence liaisons in addition to supporting digital marketing and constructing a data strategy and platform. During her time at Novartis, Dr. Huizinga participated in more than a dozen product and indication launches. Prior to Novartis, she was the Chief Health Information Officer at Premier, Inc, where she also led the Applied Sciences division partnering with several pharmaceutical companies around evidence generation needs. Dr. Huizinga has previously served as the VP of Quality at Lifepoint Health, an associate at McKinsey & Company and an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Huizinga holds an MD and MPH from Vanderbilt University and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
"It is exciting to be joining the Rafael Holdings executive management team later this month. I look forward to collaborating with the Rafael Pharmaceuticals organization in the development of cancer metabolism therapeutic programs as it approaches a critical inflection point with the data readout for its Phase 3 clinical trial for CPI-613® in metastatic pancreatic cancer in the fourth quarter of this year," said Dr. Huizinga.
About Rafael Holdings, Inc.
Rafael Holdings is focused on the development of novel cancer therapies. The company owns the Barer Institute and is a significant investor in two clinical stage oncology companies, Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and LipoMedix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Through the Barer Institute, the company is developing a pipeline of compounds focused on the regulation of cancer metabolism. On June 21, 2021, Rafael Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: RFL) announced that it has entered into a merger agreement to acquire full ownership of Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. For more information, visit www.rafaelholdings.com.
About Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Rafael Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage oncology company focused on selectively targeting cancer metabolic pathways while simultaneously harnessing the immune system to attack hard-to-treat cancers. The Company's lead drug, CPI-613® (devimistat), is being evaluated in multiple clinical studies including two Phase 3 registrational clinical trials for metastatic pancreatic cancer and r/r acute myeloid leukemia. Multiple Phase 1/2 clinical trials are ongoing or planned in Biliary, r/r Burkitt, r/r Clear Cell Sarcoma, r/r T-cell lymphoma, r/r MDS, and Colorectal cancer.
The Company plans to continue to discover and advance its internal cancer metabolism research programs and expects its Dual-SHMT Inhibitor to enter Phase 1 in late 2022/early 2023. The Company's investors include Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RFL). For more information, please visit www.rafaelpharma.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding our expectations surrounding the potential, safety, efficacy, and regulatory and clinical progress of our product candidates; plans and timing for the release of additional clinical data; and the potential of our pipeline, including our internal cancer metabolism research programs. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the impact of public health threats, including COVID-19, on our business and operations; we depend heavily on the success of Rafael Pharmaceuticals and the future success of its lead product candidate devimistat (CPI-613® (devimistat)), and clinical trials of the product candidate may not be successful; our pharmaceutical companies may not be able to develop any medicines of commercial value; our pharmaceutical companies may not be successful in their efforts to identify or discover potential product candidates; the manufacturing and manufacturing development of our products and product candidates present technological, logistical and regulatory risks, each of which may adversely affect our potential revenue; potential unforeseen events during clinical trials could cause delays or other adverse consequences; risks relating to the regulatory approval process; interim, topline and preliminary data may change as more patient data become available, and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data; our product candidates may cause serious adverse side effects; ongoing regulatory obligations; effects of significant competition; unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives; product liability lawsuits; failure to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel; the possibility of system failures or security breaches; risks relating to intellectual property and significant costs as a result of operating as a public company. These and other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2020, and our other filings with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.
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SOURCE Rafael Holdings, Inc.
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