LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA) today announced the appointment of Dr. Dvorit Samid as Vice President of Medical Affairs.

Dr. Samids three decades of oncology research and drug development experience, and her relationships with leading investigators around the world in lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and other indications will be a tremendous asset to us at Synta in advancing our lead clinical programs, said Safi Bahcall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Synta Pharmaceuticals. From her early work as Section Chief at the National Cancer Institute, to her lead role in Medical Affairs at Roche, ImClone and Abraxis Oncology in building awareness and successfully launching certain widely-used anti-cancer drugs, Dr. Samid has built a strong reputation in successfully communicating the science and medical potential of novel, important compounds. We are excited to have Dvorit join Synta to help us in the clinical and pre-commercial development of ganetespib.

Ganetespib is a potent inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) that is structurally unrelated to first-generation, ansamycin-family Hsp90 inhibitors and is being evaluated in over 20 clinical trials ongoing, recently completed, or currently initiating. Over 500 patients have been treated to date with ganetespib. In these trials, ganetespib has demonstrated strong single-agent clinical activity, with a favorable safety profile, in patients with several different types of cancer, including lung cancer and breast cancer, who have failed to respond to, or progressed following treatment with, multiple prior therapies. A Phase 2b/3 trial evaluating the combination of ganetespib and docetaxel in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who have progressed following treatment with first-line therapy, the GALAXY trial, is ongoing with data readouts expected later this year. Ganetespib has also shown strong single-agent clinical activity in patients with ALK+ lung cancer, as well as patients with HER2+ and triple-negative breast cancer. A global clinical trial evaluating ganetespib in approximately 100 patients with ALK+ lung cancer, who have not been previously treated with a direct ALK inhibitor, is now initiating.

This is a very exciting time to be joining Synta, said Dr. Samid. There are very few late-stage drug candidates in the industry that have both demonstrated compelling single-agent anti-cancer activity in multiple tumor types and have such a favorable safety profile. Chaperone inhibition represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of cancer, which offers potential both in molecularly targeted patient populations, such as ALK+ lung cancer, and more broadly, in combination. Ganetespib is positioned to be first to market - the first compound to unlock the true potential of this approach for treating patients with cancer. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Synta and apply the experience and relationships I have developed towards advancing this program to registration and commercialization.

Dr. Samid has extensive experience in oncology drug development including clinical development, launch and life-cycle management of drugs in lung cancer (Erbitux), breast cancer (Abraxane, Xeloda), and colorectal cancer (Xeloda). Her career spans academia (University of Virginia Medical School), government (Section Chief Differentiation Control, National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health Division of Cancer Treatment) and pharmaceutical industry (Roche, ImClone and others).

Dr. Samid holds a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., completed graduate studies in Biology at Technion Institute in Haifa, Israel and holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Samid has authored over 80 publications in oncology and holds 19 patents.

About Ganetespib

Ganetespib is the most advanced of the next-generation, synthetic Hsp90 inhibitors with over 450 patients treated to date and 20 trials recently completed, currently initiating, or actively enrolling, including the global Phase 2b/3 GALAXY trialTM in second-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Ganetespib has shown anti-tumor activity in heavily pretreated patients with lung cancer, breast cancer, and other tumor types and has been well tolerated with no evidence of severe liver or common ocular toxicities seen with other Hsp90 inhibitors. The most common adverse event seen to date has been grade 1 or 2 diarrhea, which has been transient and manageable with standard supportive care.

Go here to read the rest:
Synta Announces Appointment of Dvorit Samid, Ph.D., as Vice President, Medical Affairs