FivepHusion, an advanced clinical-stage biotechnology company, is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Iain Ross (LinkedIn profile) as a Non-Executive Director. Mr Ross is a highly experienced international biotechnology executive, currently serving as an Executive Chairman and in Non-Executive Chairman roles for UK and US publicly listed and private biotech companies. He complements and expands the current skill set of the FivepHusion Board, bringing decades of experience in corporate governance, strategy and execution, including in licensing, merger & acquisition deals and capital raising, having overseen multiple initial public offerings for his companies on the NASDAQ, LSE and ASX. Iain lives in the United Kingdom and is a frequent visitor to Australia. He has a long association with the Australian industry, having served in Board and senior management roles for a variety of Australian private and publicly listed biotech companies over many years.
Mr David Ranson, Executive Chairman of FivepHusion commented “As we pursue late clinical-stage development of our lead drug Deflexifol™, augmenting and expanding the diversity and skill set of our Board is paramount to optimally positioning our company for global development activities and commercialisation. I am thrilled that Iain has agreed to contribute his deep experience and global perspective to our company.”
Mr Iain Ross said “I am excited to join the FivepHusion Board at this important inflection in the development of Deflexifol™, which has the potential to help a very large number of cancer patients globally. Through the strategic global partnerships that FivepHusion has established, it is well placed to rapidly advance Deflexifol™ to significant development and commercial milestones. I look forward to working with the Board, and on behalf of the company’s investors, on this exciting journey.”
About Mr Iain Ross
A biochemistry graduate of London University, and an experienced businessman with >40 years experience largely in the international life sciences and technology sectors. Track record includes multiple financing transactions having raised >£600m, both publicly and privately, as well as extensive experience of divestments and strategic restructurings and >25 years in cross-border management as a Chairman and CEO. Has led and participated in 8 Initial Public Offerings/Listings , (5 LSE, 2 NASDAQ and 1 ASX) and has direct experience of M&A transactions in Europe, USA and Pacific Rim.
Following a career with multi-national companies – Sandoz AG, Hoffman La Roche, and Celltech plc for > 25 years has undertaken a number of company start-ups, turnarounds and exits as a Chairman, CEO and board member on behalf of institutional shareholders; VCs, private equity groups and banks. These include Quadrant Healthcare PLC (Drug delivery – sold to Élan); Eden BioDesign (contract manufacturing – sold to Watson Pharmaceuticals); Phadia AB (Diagnostics – acquired from Pfizer – sold to Cinven); Silence Therapeutics PLC (RNAi therapeutics platform – merged with Intradigm Inc); Allergy Therapeutics Limited (Allergy immunotherapy – prepared for IPO); Ark Therapeutics PLC (therapeutics and viral contract manufacturing) – subsidiaries sold off to private equity and a private veterinary business reversed into the LSE Main List shell to form Premier Veterinary Group plc; the 4 year turnaround of Redx Pharma plc (LSE:AIM) from administration in 2017 to in 2021 a fully funded, biotech company with big pharma validated R&D portfolio and a blue chip healthcare shareholder register and the 6 year turnaround of Kazia Therapeutics Limited (formerly Novogen) (ASX/NASDAQ) into a clinical oncology development company with a validated R&D portfolio.
Has held >25 non-executive director roles in private and public companies in Europe, US and Australia. Currently Executive Chairman of Reneuron Group plc LSE (Exosome Delivery Technology platform) and Non-Executive Chairman of Silence Therapeutics plc NASDAQ (RNAi therapeutics platform & pipeline) which he returned to in 2019; and also a Non-Executive Director of Bivictrix Therapeutics plc LSE (Oncology technology platform) he took public in 2021 . A qualified Chartered Director (UK IoD), Former Vice Chairman of the Council and Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway, London University.
About FivepHusion
FivepHusion (www.fivephusion.com) is an advanced clinical-stage, globally focused biotechnology company whose purpose is to optimise chemotherapy to improve patient treatment outcomes and quality of life.
FivepHusion is developing Deflexifol™, a proprietary, novel, and optimised physiological pH formulation to co-administer the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its biomodulator leucovorin (LV), a drug that significantly enhances 5-FU anti-cancer activity. These drugs are commonly used globally to treat various solid tumours including colorectal, pancreatic, gastric and breast cancers. However, due to their chemical incompatibility, current formulations of 5-FU and LV suffer from limitations in their safety, tolerability, effectiveness and pharmacological compatibility. These disadvantages contribute to limited treatment response rates, unpleasant side effects and toxicities, and a reduced quality of life experienced by cancer patients. Deflexifol™ has been designed to address these limitations through co-administration of the two agents with clinically demonstrated improvements in safety and tolerability and the potential to offer superior anti-tumour efficacy, better quality of life, and overall enhanced clinical benefit for cancer patients.
FivepHusion is developing Deflexifol™ via the FDA 505(b)(2) and EMA Article 10b regulatory pathways as a bioequivalent, chemotherapy replacement of sub-optimal standard of care formulations of 5-FU and LV for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, and other tumours with a projected global incidence of greater than 6 million patients. Deflexifol™ is also being developed as a new therapy for cancers with high unmet medical needs, including paediatric ependymoma; a rare and deadly brain cancer which afflicts very young children.
Deflexifol™ is a trademark of FivepHusion.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement (and any attachments) may contain certain forward-looking statements that are based on any number of assumptions and estimates which may prove incorrect and relate to circumstances and events that may not take place. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors (such as significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, and regulatory and clinical development risks and uncertainties) which may cause the actual future plans, results or the performance of FivepHusion and its drug Deflexifol™ to differ materially from the plans, results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will be realised. FivepHusion does not make any representation or give any warranty as to the likelihood of achievement or reasonableness of any forward-looking statements.