Immune Pharmaceuticals has announced two new additions to its leadership team: the appointment of Miri Ben-Ami, M.D., President of Immune Pharmaceuticals Limited (Israel), a wholly-owned Immune subsidiary, and Executive Vice President (EVP), Oncology; and Monica E. Luchi, M.D., FACR, MBA to EVP Global Drug Development, Chief Medical Officer.
"I am very pleased that two senior industry executives, Miri Ben-Ami M.D. and Monica E. Luchi M.D., will be joining the leadership team of Immune as we accelerate the global clinical development of bertilimumab. We recently announced the U.S. FDA acceptance of our IND for a Phase 2 clinical trial in bullous pemphigoid and the first patient enrolled in Israel in our Phase 2 clinical trial in ulcerative colitis. Both Miri and Monica have a proven track record in clinical development and executive management at large pharma and public bio-tech companies," stated Dr. Daniel Teper, CEO of Immune.
Dr. Ben-Ami and Dr. Luchi will join the Company's executive committee and report directly to Dr. Teper, CEO. Dr. Ben-Ami will be responsible for overall operations in Israel, including clinical trials and other R&D initiatives. She will be responsible for the global development and partnering of Immune's oncology pipeline, which includes clinical stage small molecules, NanomAbs and bi-specific antibodies. Dr. Luchi will be responsible for global R&D strategy and operations.
Dr. Ben-Ami's background includes over 15 years experience in executing broad management and drug development responsibilities for the healthcare industry. Most recently, she served as the CEO for Aposense Ltd., a clinical stage public biotech company developing therapeutics and molecular imaging diagnostics in the field of oncology. Under her leadership, the company refocused its drug pipeline, entered into partnerships with big pharma, and received approval from the FDA for accelerated development of its lead compound. Before that, Dr. Ben-Ami held senior leadership roles during her 9-year tenure at Teva Pharmaceuticals. As Global Head of Neurology, Dr. Ben-Ami spearheaded development strategies for Copaxone, a lead immunomodulator in multiple sclerosis, underlying the successful expansion of the product's indications and market. Currently, Dr. Ben-Ami serves on the governing board of the Israeli Public Companies Association, as Chairperson of the organization's life-sciences division. Dr. Ben-Ami obtained her B.Sc.(Hon.) degree in Medical Biochemistry and her M.D. degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and gained clinical experience during her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UK and Israel.
Dr. Luchi is a Board certified rheumatologist with 15 years industry experience. Prior to joining Immune, Dr. Luchi held senior immunology and inflammation positions at Novartis, Incyte and most recently, Mesoblast. In addition to her biopharmaceutical experience, Dr. Luchi is a local Metro Chapter board member of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association and continues part time clinical patient care for an academic rheumatology practice. She is adjunct assistant professor of medicine and adjunct clinical assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania.
"Joining Immune will enable me to help patients with severe immuno-inflammatory conditions as well as further Immune's goal to enhance patient access to personalized medical care. My initial focus will be ensuring that both of the on-going Phase 2 clinical trials with bertilimumab are completed on time and to provide guidance for further development in gastro-enterology and dermatology," said Monica E. Luchi, M.D., FACR, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of Immune Pharmaceuticals.
The Company granted an inducement stock option to purchase up to 400,000 shares of the Company's common stock to Monica E. Luchi, the Company's Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. The stock options vest over a period of three years, 1/3 of options vest on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the remainder vest quarterly over a two-year period after the first anniversary of the date of grant. The stock options were granted as an inducement material to employment in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).