Robert LaCaze, Innovative Growth-Driver in Oncology, Joins Summit Therapeutics as Chief Commercial Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SMMT) has appointed Robert LaCaze as Chief Commercial Officer, reporting to Manmeet S. Soni, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. LaCaze brings over 35 years of biopharmaceutical executive leadership experience, particularly in oncology.

LaCaze previously served as Executive Vice President and Head of Oncology Strategic Business Unit at Bayer Healthcare, and Senior Vice President at Bristol-Myers Squibb leading their immuno-oncology franchise. Most recently, he was CEO and President of Mnemo Therapeutics.

His expertise spans biologics, cell therapies, radiopharmaceuticals, and diagnostics, with a track record of launching multi-billion-dollar products. LaCaze will be instrumental in Summit's commercial strategy for ivonescimab, their novel cancer product candidate.

Positive

• Appointment of seasoned executive with proven track record in launching multi-billion-dollar oncology products
• Strategic hire brings extensive commercialization experience for potential ivonescimab launch
• Addition of executive with significant experience at major pharmaceutical companies (Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb)

Negative

• Commercial launch of ivonescimab still pending with no guaranteed timeline
• Significant investment in commercial leadership before product approval indicates increased operational expenses

Mr. LaCaze Brings Over 35 Years of Executive Leadership Experience in the Biopharmaceutical Industry

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SMMT) (“Summit,” “we,” or the “Company”) today announced that Robert LaCaze has joined Summit Therapeutics as Chief Commercial Officer, reporting to Manmeet S. Soni, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.

Robert W. Duggan and Dr. Maky Zanganeh, Co-CEOs of Summit Therapeutics, stated, “Robert’s extensive experience and proven track record in the oncology space make him an exceptional addition to our team. His leadership will be instrumental as we seek to bring ivonescimab to patients in need. We are truly excited to have him on board and look forward to the positive impact he will have on our commercial efforts.”

Robert LaCaze is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with over 35 years of extensive leadership experience in commercial strategy and execution, with a proven track record of driving revenue growth and expanding market presence for various oncology products. He has held senior positions at major pharmaceutical companies like Bayer Healthcare and Bristol-Myers Squibb. At Bayer, he served as Executive Vice President and Head of the Oncology Strategic Business Unit, overseeing the global oncology franchise and serving on the Executive Committee for Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Before that, he was Senior Vice President and Head of Global Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, leading the vision, strategy, and execution of the immuno-oncology franchise.

“We are delighted to welcome Mr. LaCaze to Summit Therapeutics. His vast experience and visionary leadership in building oncology commercial teams at large pharmaceutical companies will be invaluable as we continue our potential commercial launch of ivonescimab,” added Manmeet Soni. “We are confident that Mr. LaCaze’s strategic insights and operational expertise will significantly enhance our ability to execute on our mission to build a viable health care organization intended to improve quality of life, increase potential duration of life, and resolve serious medical needs.”

Mr. LaCaze has experience across various therapeutic areas and modalities, including biologics, cell therapies, radiopharmaceuticals, and diagnostics. He has a proven track record of launching multi-billion-dollar products and building and growing blockbuster drug franchises. Prior to joining Summit, Mr. LaCaze was CEO and President of Mnemo Therapeutics. He has served on various advisory boards and received numerous awards, including being named a Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of New Jersey for 2022 by The Healthcare Technology Report. Additionally, he serves on the Board for Axiom REACH, a non-profit organization aiding underprivileged cancer patients. Mr. LaCaze received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Louisiana Tech University.

“I am thrilled to join Team Summit and contribute to the organization’s next steps,” added Mr. LaCaze. “Summit's commitment to excellence and its highly-accomplished team provide me with great confidence about what can be achieved with such an innovative, novel product candidate, ivonescimab. I look forward to working with the team to help drive a successful commercial launch of ivonescimab and the potential to make a meaningful impact in the lives of patients with cancer.”

About Summit Therapeutics

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of patient-, physician-, caregiver- and societal-friendly medicinal therapies intended to improve quality of life, increase potential duration of life, and resolve serious unmet medical needs.

Summit was founded in 2003 and our shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (symbol "SMMT"). We are headquartered in Miami, Florida, and we have additional offices in Menlo Park, California, and Oxford, UK.

For more information, please visit https://www.smmttx.com and follow us on X @SMMT_TX.

Summit Forward-looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about the Company’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including but not limited to, statements about the clinical and preclinical development of the Company’s product candidates, entry into and actions related to the Company’s partnership with Akeso Inc., the intended use of the net proceeds from the private placements, the Company's anticipated spending and cash runway, the therapeutic potential of the Company’s product candidates, the potential commercialization of the Company’s product candidates, the timing of initiation, completion and availability of data from clinical trials, the potential submission of applications for marketing approvals, potential acquisitions, statements about the previously disclosed At-The-Market equity offering program (“ATM Program”), the expected proceeds and uses thereof, and other statements containing the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "would," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the Company’s ability to sell shares of our common stock under the ATM Program, the conditions affecting the capital markets, general economic, industry, or political conditions, the results of our evaluation of the underlying data in connection with the development and commercialization activities for ivonescimab, the outcome of discussions with regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration, the uncertainties inherent in the initiation of future clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing and future clinical trials, the results of such trials, and their success, global public health crises, that may affect timing and status of our clinical trials and operations, whether preliminary results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of that trial or whether results of early clinical trials or preclinical studies will be indicative of the results of later clinical trials, whether business development opportunities to expand the Company’s pipeline of drug candidates, including without limitation, through potential acquisitions of, and/or collaborations with, other entities occur, expectations for regulatory approvals, laws and regulations affecting government contracts and funding awards, availability of funding sufficient for the Company’s foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of filings that the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any change to our ongoing trials could cause delays, affect our future expenses, and add uncertainty to our commercialization efforts, as well as to affect the likelihood of the successful completion of clinical development of ivonescimab. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. In addition, any forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any subsequent date. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements included in this press release.

Summit Therapeutics and the Summit Therapeutics logo are trademarks of Summit Therapeutics Inc. Copyright 2025, Summit Therapeutics Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250317175356/en/

Contact Summit Therapeutics:

Dave Gancarz

Chief Business & Strategy Officer

Nathan LiaBraaten

Senior Director, Investor Relations

investors@smmttx.com

media@smmttx.com

Source: Summit Therapeutics Inc.

FAQ

What role has Robert LaCaze taken at Summit Therapeutics (SMMT)?

Robert LaCaze has joined Summit Therapeutics as Chief Commercial Officer, reporting to Manmeet S. Soni, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

What is Robert LaCaze's experience in the pharmaceutical industry?

LaCaze has over 35 years of executive leadership experience, including roles as Executive VP at Bayer Healthcare's Oncology Unit and Senior VP at Bristol-Myers Squibb's immuno-oncology franchise.

What will be LaCaze's main focus at Summit Therapeutics (SMMT)?

LaCaze will focus on the potential commercial launch of ivonescimab, Summit's cancer product candidate, leveraging his experience in launching multi-billion-dollar products.

What are Robert LaCaze's notable achievements before joining SMMT?

LaCaze was named a Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leader of New Jersey in 2022, has experience launching multi-billion-dollar products, and was most recently CEO of Mnemo Therapeutics.