Garner’s pharma development expertise includes women’s health and gynecologic oncology
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of female oncology products in the precision medicine metastatic breast cancer arena, today announced the addition of Elizabeth Garner, M.D., M.P.H., to its board of directors. Dr. Garner has been the chief medical officer of ObsEva SA, a women’s health pharmaceutical company, since July 2019.
“We are absolutely delighted to have Dr. Elizabeth Garner join the Sermonix board of directors,” said Dr. Anthony Wild, Sermonix non-executive chairman of the board. “Dr. Garner’s deep experience in drug development and expert knowledge of both the women’s health care and oncology arenas will provide the Sermonix team with valuable insight as we continue the fight to improve the lives of women with metastatic breast cancer.”
In 2019, Dr. Garner was named to the PharmaVOICE 100 list of the most inspiring individuals in the life-sciences industry. At ObsEva, she oversees all medical aspects of the company’s clinical development programs. Prior to her current position, Dr. Garner served as the chief medical officer at Agile Therapeutics, where she designed and led the Phase 3 SECURE trial, which supported FDA approval of the Twirla® contraceptive patch in February 2020.
“The addition of Dr. Garner rounds out what I consider to be a world-class board of directors, with the ideal combination of backgrounds and experiences that best position us for long-term success,” said Dr. David Portman, Sermonix founder and chief executive officer. “The Sermonix leadership team looks forward to continuing our collaboration with my fellow board members as we advance our promising clinical candidate, lasofoxifene, through our ELAINE Phase 2 clinical trials, which are currently enrolling. Lasofoxifene represents a potential first-in-class targeted therapeutic option for the growing percentage of breast cancer patients who develop ESR1 mutations that can become resistant to current therapies and are prone to metastasize.”
Dr. Garner brings more than a decade of pharmaceutical development experience to the Sermonix board. Specifically, she has vast clinical expertise in issues related to women’s health and management of women’s cancers, and a deep understanding of drug development.
“I am honored to join the Sermonix board of directors, as I share its members’ passion and purpose in bringing new treatments for women’s cancers,” said Dr. Garner. “I look forward to working with the Sermonix team to realize the potential of significantly advancing the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and other prevalent malignancies that impact the lives of women.”
Dr. Garner previously served as vice president of medical affairs for women’s health/preventive care at Myriad Genetics, where she co-authored a study aimed at assessing the proportion of women who may qualify for imaging in addition to mammography based on their genetic BRCA1/2 mutation status.
Before Myriad, Dr. Garner served as senior director at Abbott Laboratories, where she oversaw all clinical aspects of the global Phase 3 endometriosis development program for Orilissa®. From 2007 to 2011, Dr. Garner was associate director and then director of clinical research at Merck Research Laboratories. There, she was the core presenter for the FDA Gardasil® Advisory Committee Meeting, developing and delivering the company’s presentation that supported FDA approval of a gender-neutral indication for the prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related anal cancer.
Dr. Garner earned joint M.D. and M.P.H. degrees from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. She trained in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s/Massachusetts General Hospitals and completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Brigham and Women’s and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She served on the Harvard Medical School faculty as assistant professor in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology from 2003 to 2007.
To learn more about Sermonix Pharmaceuticals and lasofoxifene, visit https://sermonixpharma.com/.
About Sermonix
Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of female-specific oncology products and is currently undertaking two Phase 2 clinical studies of lasofoxifene, its lead investigational drug. Sermonix Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2014 by David Portman, M.D., a leading clinical researcher and expert in women’s health, menopause and selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) therapy. The Sermonix management team, led by Dr. Portman, has significant experience in all stages of the drug development and regulatory process. Paul Plourde, M.D., vice president of oncology clinical development, has many decades of experience in the oncology drug development arena. Barry Komm, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, is recognized for his expertise in SERM biology. Miriam Portman, M.D., is chief operating officer. Elizabeth Attias, M.M.Sc., Sc.D., chief strategy and development officer, has extensive experience in pharmaceutical drug commercialization. Simon Jenkins, Ph.D. vice president of operations, has over 30 years of experience in global drug development leadership. Sermonix non-executive chairman of the board is Anthony Wild, Ph.D., former president of both Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals and Warner-Lambert’s Pharmaceutical Division. Learn more at https://sermonixpharma.com/.
Contact information:
David Portman, MD
CEO and Founder, Sermonix Pharmaceuticals
dportman@sermonixpharma.com
614-582-6849
Recent Comments