Citius Pharmaceuticals Brings on Myron S. Czuczman, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President

 

 

Source:  Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 7/14/2020

 

- Recent executive at Celgene, Dr. Czuczman brings decades of experience in the strategic design and worldwide clinical development of novel therapeutics for hematologic malignancies

- Strengthens position for Citius as a developer of adjunctive cancer therapies (Mino-Lok and Mino-Wrap) and the "NoveCite" induced allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell program

- Formerly at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, he was instrumental in the development of the current global era of combination antibody-based immunochemotherapy of B-cell neoplasms and was the first to discover the synergy between rituximab and lenalidomide against malignant B-cells

- Dr. Czuczman has published greater than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles

Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Citius" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CTXR), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing critical care drug products, announced today that Myron S. Czuczman, M.D., has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President. Dr. Czuczman was most recently Therapeutic Area Head, Vice President, Clinical Research and Development Global Lymphoma/CLL Program at Celgene Corporation.  At Celgene, he was responsible for worldwide clinical development in Lymphoma/CLL and for the development of all compounds from Proof-of-Principle through registration globally.

Myron Holubiak, Citius CEO stated, "We are honored to have a colleague as qualified as Dr. Czuczman join the Citius team.  He will be enormously helpful in furthering our development program for our planned iPSC-derived mesenchymal stem cell (iMSC) for the treatment of ARDS associated with CoVid-19.   This, coupled with the advanced Phase 3 trials underway for Mino-Lok® and preparing an IND for Mino-Wrap, add to the importance of bringing in an executive of Dr. Czuczman's expertise, experience, and caliber to the team."

Prior to his tenure at Celgene, Dr. Czuczman served as Chief, Lymphoma/Myeloma Service in the Department of Medicine and Head of the Lymphoma Translational Research Laboratory in the Immunology Department at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY where he attained the title of tenured Professor of Medicine and Oncology prior to joining Celgene.

Dr. Czuczman received his M.D. from Pennsylvania State University of Medicine after graduating magna cum laude in Biochemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his Internal Medicine residency training at Weill Cornell North Shore University/MSKCC Program, followed by Medical Oncology/Hematology fellowship training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY.

Dr. Czuczman was a Founding Member and reviewer for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Lymphoma Guidelines compendium panel for nearly twenty years and he has greater than 180 peer-reviewed publications.  He is a Diplomate in Internal Medicine, and is Board Certified in Medical Oncology and received numerous awards and accolades during his academic career.

About Citius Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Citius is a late-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of critical care products, with a focus on anti-infectives and cancer care. For more information, please visit www.citiuspharma.com.

About Mino-Lok®
Mino-Lok® is an antibiotic lock solution being developed as an adjunctive therapy in patients with central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) or catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs). CLABSIs/CRBSIs are very serious, especially in cancer patients receiving therapy through central venous catheters (CVCs) and in hemodialysis patients, for whom venous access presents a challenge. There are currently no approved therapies for salvaging infected CVCs.

About Citius iMSC
Citius's planned mesenchymal stem cell therapy product is derived from a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line generated using a proprietary mRNA-based (non-viral) reprogramming process. The iMSCs produced from this clonal technique are differentiated from adult donor-derived MSCs (bone marrow, placenta, umbilical cord, adipose tissue, or dental pulp) by providing genetic homogeneity. In in-vitro studies, iMSCs exhibit superior potency and high cell viability. The iMSCs secrete immunomodulatory proteins that may reduce or prevent pulmonary symptoms associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with COVID-19. The Citius iMSC is an allogeneic (unrelated donor) mesenchymal stem-cell product manufactured by expanding material from a master cell bank.

About Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
ARDS is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. ARDS is a rapidly progressive disease that occurs in critically ill patients – most notably now in those diagnosed with COVID-19. ARDS affects approximately 200,000 patients per year in the U.S., exclusive of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and has a 30% to 50% mortality rate. ARDS is sometimes initially diagnosed as pneumonia or pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs from heart disease). Symptoms of ARDS include shortness of breath, rapid breathing and heart rate, chest pain (particularly while inhaling), and bluish skin coloration. Among those who survive ARDS, a decreased quality of life is relatively common.