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NEWTON, Mass., July 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:KPTI), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Ian Karp as Vice President, Investor and Public Relations.  In this role, Mr. Karp will lead all of the Company’s corporate communications activities, including corporate visibility, financial communications, and media and investor relations.

“Ian is a driven, forward-thinking communications leader with exceptional experience in relationship building, as well as with financial and corporate messaging,” said Michael G. Kauffman, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Karyopharm.  “He brings a wealth of industry experience, having served in senior leadership roles for several commercial-stage, global pharmaceutical companies, and successfully leading key strategic and operational activities. As we continue to advance selinexor and our other pipeline programs, we understand the need to proactively engage and educate the investment community on our ongoing achievements and future opportunities. I am confident that Ian will serve as a key resource to our investors and help further communicate the continued progress we are making towards bringing new and innovative medicines to patients.”

Mr. Karp brings over 20 years of investor relations, corporate development, and commercial experience and has successfully led global teams in achieving key corporate communications objectives, including in the areas of oncology and orphan diseases.  Prior to joining Karyopharm, Mr. Karp held several roles with increasing responsibility at Shire plc, culminating in his role as Vice President and Head of Global Investor Relations. In addition, Mr. Karp previously served as Shire’s Head of Commercial Assessment and played a critical role in Shire’s corporate acquisition strategy between 2012-2016 which resulted in acquisitions totaling more than $40B, including ViroPharma, Dyax, and Baxalta.

Before joining Shire, Mr. Karp served as Sr. Director for Global Marketing, Emerging Oncology Brands at MedImmune, an AstraZeneca company. In this role, Mr. Karp served as MedImmune’s commercial lead for clinical and preclinical programs across 20+ cancer indications in both solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Prior to his time at MedImmune, Mr. Karp held positions at Johnson & Johnson’s Centocor division as well as at Pharmacia (now part of Pfizer) in a variety of sales and marketing roles, including field reimbursement support for Pharmacia’s cancer franchise. Mr. Karp holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Emory University and an M.B.A. from Rutgers Business School with a concentration in pharmaceutical management.

“I am thrilled to be joining Karyopharm at such an exciting time in the company’s history,” said Mr. Karp. “With the initiation of our first rolling New Drug Application now submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, this is truly a transformative time for the Company.  I am honored to join such a dynamic team and I look forward to leading the communications and investor relations functions on behalf of the Company and its shareholders.”   

About Selinexor

Selinexor is a first-in-class, oral Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compound. Selinexor functions by binding with and inhibiting the nuclear export protein XPO1 (also called CRM1), leading to the accumulation of tumor suppressor proteins in the cell nucleus. This reinitiates and amplifies their tumor suppressor function and is believed to lead to the selective induction of apoptosis in cancer cells, while largely sparing normal cells. To date, over 2,600 patients have been treated with selinexor. In April 2018, Karyopharm reported positive top-line data from the Phase 2b STORM study evaluating selinexor in combination with low-dose dexamethasone in patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma. Selinexor has been granted Orphan Drug Designation in multiple myeloma and Fast Track designation for the patient population evaluated in the STORM study.  Karyopharm has initiated a rolling submission for a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a request for accelerated approval for oral selinexor as a new treatment for patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma and expects the submission to be complete during the second half of 2018.  The Company also plans to submit a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in early 2019 with a request for conditional approval.  Selinexor is also being evaluated in several other mid- and later-phase clinical trials across multiple cancer indications, including in multiple myeloma in a pivotal, randomized Phase 3 study in combination with Velcade® (bortezomib) and low-dose dexamethasone (BOSTON), as a potential backbone therapy in combination with approved therapies (STOMP),  in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (SADAL), liposarcoma (SEAL), and an investigator-sponsored study in endometrial cancer (SIENDO), among others.  Additional Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies are ongoing or currently planned, including multiple studies in combination with approved therapies in a variety of tumor types to further inform Karyopharm's clinical development priorities for selinexor. Additional clinical trial information for selinexor is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About Karyopharm Therapeutics

Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:KPTI) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel first-in-class drugs directed against nuclear transport and related targets for the treatment of cancer and other major diseases. Karyopharm's SINE compounds function by binding with and inhibiting the nuclear export protein XPO1 (or CRM1). In addition to single-agent and combination activity against a variety of human cancers, SINE compounds have also shown biological activity in models of neurodegeneration, inflammation, autoimmune disease, certain viruses and wound-healing. Karyopharm, which was founded by Dr. Sharon Shacham, currently has several investigational programs in clinical or preclinical development. For more information, please visit www.karyopharm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include those regarding the timing of submissions to regulatory authorities and the potential availability of accelerated approval pathways, the therapeutic potential of and potential clinical development plans for Karyopharm's drug candidates, especially selinexor. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from Karyopharm's current expectations. For example, there can be no guarantee that any of Karyopharm's drug candidates, including selinexor, will successfully complete necessary clinical development phases, that development of any of Karyopharm's drug candidates will continue or that any feedback from regulatory authorities will ultimately lead to the approval of selinexor or any of Karyopharm’s other drug candidates. Further, there can be no guarantee that any positive developments in Karyopharm's drug candidate portfolio will result in stock price appreciation. Management's expectations and, therefore, any forward-looking statements in this press release could also be affected by risks and uncertainties relating to a number of other factors, including the following: Karyopharm's results of clinical trials and preclinical studies, including subsequent analysis of existing data and new data received from ongoing and future studies; the content and timing of decisions made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory authorities, investigational review boards at clinical trial sites and publication review bodies, including with respect to the need for additional clinical studies; Karyopharm's ability to obtain and maintain requisite regulatory approvals and to enroll patients in its clinical trials; unplanned cash requirements and expenditures; development of drug candidates by Karyopharm's competitors for diseases in which Karyopharm is currently developing its drug candidates; and Karyopharm's ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection for any drug candidates it is developing. These and other risks are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Karyopharm's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 10, 2018, and in other filings that Karyopharm may make with the SEC in the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, Karyopharm expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Velcade® is a registered trademark of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

Contacts:

Investors:
Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.
Ian Karp
Vice President, Investor and Public Relations
857-297-2241 | ikarp@karyopharm.com

Media:
Argot Partners
David Rosen
212-600-1902 | david.rosen@argotpartners.com

Source: Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.