WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., May 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Endocyte, Inc. (Nasdaq:ECYT), a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging diagnostics for personalized therapy in cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that Scot L. Harper, Ph.D., has been appointed as vice president of clinical operations. Dr. Harper will be responsible for all operational aspects of advancing Endocyte's clinical pipeline, including continued enrollment in the Phase 3 PROCEED and Phase 2b TARGET trials for vintafolide and etarfolatide, and the three new drug candidates scheduled to enter the clinic before the end of 2014.
"Scot has deep expertise in the drug development process and management of all stages of clinical trials, and he will play a key role at Endocyte as we seek to expand and advance our platform," said Ron Ellis, Endocyte's president and chief executive officer. "His experience will help ensure we are able to maximize the value of our unique approach to selecting patients, rapidly bringing meaningful new therapies to these targeted patients."
Dr. Harper brings more than twenty-five years of clinical operations experience to his position at Endocyte. He joins the company from PAREXEL International, where he was the global portfolio director for oncology, overseeing clinical activities for oncology drugs ranging from Phase 1 to Phase 4 of development. Prior to this position, he was the vice president of Novartis' North American clinical operations, where he managed clinical operations of all stages of development, including products such as Gleevec, Tasigna and Diovan. Before this, he was at Eli Lilly and Company, where he held a variety of senior roles, most recently senior director of clinical operations, which included oversight of clinical trials in areas including oncology, neuroscience, diabetes and men's health. Dr. Harper began his career at SmithKline Beecham, where he worked in new product development.
"Endocyte's SMDC technology platform and companion imaging diagnostics position the company to rapidly bring multiple drugs through the development process quickly," said Dr. Harper. "I look forward to maintaining the momentum on the later stage programs as Endocyte prepares to bring new drugs to the clinic."
Dr. Harper holds a doctorate in cardiovascular physiology from Indiana University School of Medicine, a master's degree in physiology from Indiana University School of Medicine, a master's degree in business from the University of South Alabama and a bachelor's degree in zoology from DePauw University.
About Endocyte
Endocyte is a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. Endocyte uses its proprietary technology to create novel SMDCs and companion imaging diagnostics for personalized targeted therapies. The company's SMDCs actively target receptors that are over-expressed on diseased cells, relative to healthy cells. This targeted approach is designed to enable the treatment of patients with highly active drugs at greater doses, delivered more frequently and over longer periods of time than would be possible with the untargeted drug alone. The companion imaging diagnostics are designed to identify patients whose disease over-expresses the target of the therapy and who are therefore more likely to benefit from treatment.
For additional information, please visit Endocyte's website at www.endocyte.com.