11 November 2022 - - US-based biotechnology company Seagen Inc's (NASDAQ: SGEN) board of directors has appointed David R. Epstein as chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors, the company said.

Epstein brings more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including more than 25 years at Novartis (NYSE: NVS) where he built its oncology business unit from initiation to second largest in the world and then served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG.

More recently, he was executive partner at Flagship Pioneering.

In addition, Seagen announced that Roger Dansey, M.D., who has served as Seagen's Chief Medical officer since 2018 and as Interim CEO since May 2022, has been appointed president, Research and Development.

In this new role, Dr. Dansey will continue to serve as CMO reporting to David.

David R. Epstein has more than 30 years of drug development, deal making, commercialization and people leadership experience on a global scale.

Most recently, he was executive partner at Flagship Pioneering, a builder of breakthrough bioplatform companies.

From 2010 to mid-2016 he served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG.

Previously, David started and led Novartis' Oncology and Molecular Diagnostic units. Over the course of his career, he led the development and commercialization of over 30 new molecular entities, including major breakthroughs such as Glivec, Tasigna, Gilenya, Cosentyx and Entresto.

Epstein holds a B.S. Degree in Pharmacy from Rutgers University College of Pharmacy and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Dansey joined Seagen as CMO in 2018, bringing extensive experience in cancer drug development.

Previously, he was Therapeutic Area Head for Late-Stage Oncology at Merck and Co., Inc., where he was responsible for registration efforts for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) across multiple tumor types.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Dansey was the vice president of Oncology Clinical Research at Gilead Sciences and the Global Development Lead for Xgeva (denosumab) at Amgen, where he held multiple roles in oncology and hematology.

Seagen is a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops and commercializes transformative cancer medicines to make a meaningful difference in people's lives.

Seagen is headquartered in the Seattle, Washington area, and has locations in California, Canada, Switzerland and the European Union.