PharmAust (ASX:PAA) has announced that Dr Richard Hopkins has been appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment will take effect from 7 March 2017.
Dr Hopkins is an experienced pharmaceutical executive with over 10 years in corporate leadership roles. Most recently, he held the position of CEO of Phylogica Limited (ASX:PYC) from July 2013.
He has an established track record in development of novel cancer therapies with a particular focus on corporate strategy, business development and intellectual property.
Dr Hopkins was a co-founder of Phylogica, where, in addition to the CEO role, he served in a variety of positions, including Chief Scientific Officer and VP Research and Chief Operating Officer.
Dr Hopkins was elected to the position of Chair of Ausbiotech (WA Branch) in 2016. He has also held senior research roles at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and the Department of Medicine at the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University.
The company said Dr Hopkins will be very important in the continued development of PharmAust’s key anti-cancer product, Monepantel (MPL), as well as assisting with increasing the contract sales and income activities of its wholly owned subsidiary, Epichem.
PharmAust Chairman Dr Roger Aston said: “Richard is a biotech executive with strong business operations and commercial experience in the field of early-stage cancer drug development. As an executive with previous ASX-listed company experience and who is recognised for fostering a culture of excellence and building high performing teams engaged in cutting-edge drug discovery and development, Richard is ideally suited to PharmAust’s next stages of development.”
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Hopkins said: “It is an exciting time to be joining the team at PharmAust as the company is poised to deliver on the significant preclinical and clinical foundations laid down in recent years. The company has a lead Phase II-ready product, a significant trading business in Epichem and is working towards a NASDAQ listing. I look forward to adding value in the strategic direction of the company as it works to make this breakthrough technology available for patients.”
Dr Hopkins will be based at PharmAust’s Epichem facility in Perth, Western Australia.