-- Former Lilly Biotechnology and Immunology Senior Vice President
Drawn by Omeros’ Complement Franchise and Novel-Product Pipeline --
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2019--
Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER) today announced the appointment of
Thomas F. Bumol, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Bumol is
Executive Director of the recently established Allen Institute for
Immunology and former longtime senior executive at Eli Lilly and Company.
“Tom is an internationally recognized leader in drug discovery and
development with a strong track record of commercially successful
drugs,” stated Gregory A. Demopulos, M.D., chairman and chief executive
officer of Omeros. “His decades spent leading immunology and
biotechnology industry teams make him a tremendous fit for Omeros,
particularly in light of our rapidly progressing MASP-2, MASP-3 and
immuno-oncology programs. With a long tenure as head of Lilly’s
Biotechnology Center, Tom has a deep and valuable understanding of both
R&D and operational approaches in large- and small-molecule drug
development. We’re pleased to welcome Tom to our board and look forward
to working closely with him.”
Following a 35-year career at Lilly, Dr. Bumol in 2018 joined the Allen
Institute for Immunology, which was created by the late philanthropist
and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and is dedicated to studying the
human immune system. Prior to joining the Allen Institute, Dr. Bumol was
the Senior Vice President of Biotechnology and Immunology Research and
the Site Head of Lilly’s Biotechnology Center in San Diego. While at
Lilly, Dr. Bumol’s teams and collaborators advanced over 100 molecules
into clinical development, including TRULICITY®
(dulaglutide), TALTZ® (ixekizumab), EMGALITY® (galcanezumab)
and mirikizumab. Through strategic alliances, he and his teams also
helped develop and support REOPRO® (abciximab) with Centocor
as well as OLUMIANT® (baricitinib) with Incyte. Dr. Bumol has
over 50 publications and reviews and eight issued U.S. patents.
“The strength of the science and the translational capabilities at
Omeros are impressive, as is the leadership team, which is successfully
delivering on its strategy of levering growing OMIDRIA sales to develop
its pipeline,” said Dr. Bumol. “Having spent most of my career in the
immunology field, I understand and appreciate both the scientific
importance of the complement enzymes and the cancer
immunotherapy-related GPCRs broadly controlled by Omeros and the
potentially profound patient benefits of the company’s drugs targeting
them. I’m excited to join the Omeros board, and I look forward to
helping the company continue advancing and commercializing its portfolio
of cutting-edge assets.”
Dr. Bumol serves on the University of Michigan Technology Transfer
National Advisory Board, on the Board of Directors of Pantheryx, and as
an advisor to Lilly Ventures. Dr. Bumol earned his B.S. degree in
microbiology from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in
microbiology-immunology from the University of Minnesota. He completed
postdoctoral studies through a fellowship in the Department of Molecular
Immunology at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.
About Omeros Corporation
Omeros is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to
discovering, developing and commercializing small-molecule and protein
therapeutics for large-market as well as orphan indications targeting
inflammation, complement-mediated diseases and disorders of the central
nervous system. The company’s drug product OMIDRIA® (phenylephrine and
ketorolac intraocular solution) 1% / 0.3% is marketed for use during
cataract surgery or intraocular lens (IOL) replacement to maintain pupil
size by preventing intraoperative miosis (pupil constriction) and to
reduce postoperative ocular pain. In the European Union, the European
Commission has approved OMIDRIA for use in cataract surgery and other
IOL replacement procedures to maintain mydriasis (pupil dilation),
prevent miosis (pupil constriction), and to reduce postoperative eye
pain. Omeros has multiple Phase 3 and Phase 2 clinical-stage development
programs focused on: complement-associated thrombotic microangiopathies;
complement-mediated glomerulonephropathies; cognitive impairment; and
addictive and compulsive disorders. OMS721 is Omeros’ lead human
monoclonal antibody targeting MASP-2, the effector enzyme of the
complement system’s lectin pathway. Phase 3 clinical programs are in
progress for OMS721 in hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated
thrombotic microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA), in immunoglobulin A (IgA)
nephropathy, and in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). In
addition, Omeros has a diverse group of preclinical programs and a
proprietary G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) platform through which it
controls 54 new GPCR drug targets and corresponding compounds, a number
of which are in preclinical development. The company also exclusively
possesses a novel antibody-generating platform.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are subject to the “safe
harbor” created by those sections for such statements. All statements
other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements,
which are often indicated by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “likely”, “look forward
to,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “prospects,”
“should,” “slated,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions and
variations thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s
beliefs and assumptions and on information available to management only
as of the date of this press release. Omeros’ actual results could
differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements for many reasons, including, without limitation, risks
associated with product commercialization and commercial operations,
unproven preclinical and clinical development activities, regulatory
oversight, the impact of pricing, coverage and reimbursement policies of
government and private payers on our revenues generated through sales of
OMIDRIA or any other drug product approved in the future, intellectual
property claims, competitive developments, litigation, and the risks,
uncertainties and other factors described under the heading “Risk
Factors” in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2018. Given these
risks, uncertainties and other factors, you should not place undue
reliance on these forward-looking statements, and the company assumes no
obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new
information becomes available in the future.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190212005357/en/
Source: Omeros Corporation
Jennifer Cook Williams
Cook Williams Communications, Inc.
Investor
and Media Relations
360.668.3701
jennifer@cwcomm.org
