CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: XFOR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Derek Meisner, J.D., as General Counsel. Mr. Meisner brings more than two decades of experience providing counsel to public and private companies across key legal and operational functions, including regulatory compliance, debt and equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and corporate governance.
“As a strategic and solution-oriented executive, Derek brings his broad legal and business experience to support X4’s high growth trajectory and is an important and welcome addition to our team,” said Paula Ragan, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of X4 Pharmaceuticals. “We look forward to Derek’s leadership as we continue to grow as a public company and work to develop and commercialize innovative therapies for the treatment of rare diseases.”
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to work alongside this talented and dedicated team at X4 and am eager to contribute my background and expertise toward the company’s continued growth and success as we advance novel therapies for rare disease patients with limited treatment options,” commented Mr. Meisner.
Most recently, Mr. Meisner held the role of General Counsel at Genocea Biosciences, a Cambridge-based, publicly traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Prior to Genocea, he served as General Counsel of multiple Boston-based financial services firms, including prominent life science investor RA Capital Management, and he was previously a partner at the international law firm K&L Gates and Branch Chief in the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Meisner holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the Washington College of Law at American University.
About X4 Pharmaceuticals
X4 Pharmaceuticals is developing novel therapeutics designed to improve immune cell trafficking to treat rare diseases, including primary immunodeficiencies and certain cancers. The company’s oral small molecule drug candidates antagonize the CXCR4 pathway, which plays a central role in immune surveillance. X4’s most advanced product candidate, mavorixafor (X4P-001), is in a global Phase 3 pivotal trial in patients with WHIM syndrome, a rare, inherited, primary immunodeficiency disease, and is currently also under investigation in combination with axitinib in an open-label Phase 1/2 clinical trial in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), with eight (12%) patients remaining on therapy over 12 months beyond the primary endpoint. X4 is also planning to commence clinical trials of mavorixafor in Severe Congenital Neutropenia (SCN) and Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) in 2019. X4 was founded and is led by a team with extensive biopharmaceutical product development and commercialization expertise and is committed to advancing the development of innovative medicines on behalf of patients with limited treatment options. X4 is a global company that is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts with research offices based in Vienna, Austria. For more information, please visit www.x4pharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding X4’s growth and clinical development plans. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, actual results could differ materially from those projected, and X4 cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this press release. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risk that any one or more of X4’s product candidates will not be successfully developed, approved or commercialized, the risk that X4’s ongoing or planned clinical trials and studies may be delayed, and the risk that costs required to develop X4’s product candidates or to expand its operations will be higher than anticipated. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in X4’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as updated by X4’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 11, 2019, and in other filings X4 makes with the SEC from time to time. X4 undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.