Verastem Oncology Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with Key Appointments

Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM) (the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients with cancer, announced today new executive leadership team appointments in advance of the Company’s potential commercial launch of avutometinib in combination with defactinib in low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) and to support the advancement of its broader development program in RAS pathway-driven cancers.

"These leadership appointments bring significant experience in oncology regulatory and commercial success as well as deep financial expertise as we move to the next stage of the Company’s development. This includes filing for accelerated approval for avutometinib and defactinib in LGSOC and preparing for a commercial launch of this potential first FDA-approved medicine for this patient population," stated Dan Paterson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Verastem Oncology. "This strengthened executive team, combined with Verastem’s significant progress in advancing therapies across RAS pathway-driven cancers, is expected to accelerate our work to bring new therapies to patients with high unmet medical need."

Mike Crowther, Chief Commercial and Business Strategy Officer, brings more than 20 years of commercial, marketing, and business operations experience at a local, regional, and global level. He was most recently the Chief Business Officer at Minerva Biotechnologies, leading business results in immunotherapies for cancer treatment and executive leader for strategic planning, business development, and commercial operations. Prior to that, Mr. Crowther was the Interim U.S. Lead and Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Kite Pharma where he was responsible for strategic marketing and business operations. Previously, he was in positions of increasing leadership within Global Marketing at Celgene where he led commercial strategy and execution across several therapeutic areas, including the preparation and launch of 10 oncology products. He received his Bachelor of Science at the Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, United Kingdom.

David Mitchell, Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs, has more than 45 years of experience in the development of treatments in oncology, rare diseases, and other therapeutic areas. He was most recently the Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs at Sumitovant Biopharma. Prior to Sumitovant, he served as Head of Regulatory for Roivant Sciences, VP of Regulatory and Quality at Aeglea Pharmaceuticals, VP of Regulatory and Quality at Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, and Global Regulatory Lead and Director of Regulatory Affairs in Oncology at AbbVie. Mr. Mitchell has been the regulatory leader in the development of more than 150 Investigational New Drug applications, 12 New Drug Applications and Biologic License Applications and has led a multitude of meeting requests and briefing packages for formal meetings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and other global health authorities. Mr. Mitchell obtained his Master of Science in Regulatory Science from the Johns Hopkins University and his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from MS College in Clinton, Mississippi.