iTeos Appoints Oncology Veteran Jill DeSimone to Its Board of Directors
WATERTOWN, Mass. and GOSSELIES, Belgium, March 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics for patients, today announced the appointment of Jill DeSimone to its Board of Directors, effective March 7, 2024, where she will serve on the Company’s audit committee.
“Expanding our board with industry leaders and oncology veterans with commercial, scientific, and corporate portfolio strategy experience is of the utmost importance for iTeos. After the recent appointment of Servier’s David Lee, we are thrilled to welcome Jill DeSimone to our Board of Directors during an important time in iTeos’ evolution. Jill and David’s unique insights will be of tremendous value to our organization as we continue on our path to becoming a late-stage biopharmaceutical company,” said Michel Detheux, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of iTeos.
“By leveraging its comprehensive knowledge of tumor biology, iTeos has advanced a portfolio of promising therapeutic candidates addressing key immunological pathways involved in the development of cancer,” said Ms. DeSimone. “I look forward to working with the iTeos leadership team and offering my global business and commercial insights to help the company achieve its goal of bringing transformational therapies to patients living with cancer.”
With over 40 years of global business expertise in life sciences, Ms. DeSimone is recognized for her role as President of U.S. Oncology at Merck & Co., Inc., where she established the company’s oncology division, growing it from less than $500 million in annual revenue to $9 billion in eight years. Additionally, she led three key product launches and more than 45 indication launches, including Keytruda®, the fastest growing product in the company’s history. Prior to joining Merck, Ms. DeSimone was Senior Vice President of Global Women’s Health at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. She began her career at Bristol Myers Squibb and held roles of increasing responsibility culminating as the Senior Vice President of U.S. Oncology, a role in which she helped launch the first FDA-approved CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Yervoy®. Ms. DeSimone currently serves as a board member for Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., Kinnate Biopharma Inc., Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc., Praxis Precision Medicine, Inc., as well as the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, a nonprofit organization that delivers non-medical aid for individuals undergoing treatment for cancer, and Swim Across America, a foundation that awards grants to cancer research and patient programs. She earned a B.S. in Pharmacy from Northeastern University and completed a fellowship with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
About iTeos Therapeutics, Inc.
iTeos Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics for patients. iTeos Therapeutics leverages its deep understanding of tumor immunology and immunosuppressive pathways to design novel product candidates with the potential to restore the immune response against cancer. The Company’s innovative pipeline includes three clinical-stage programs targeting novel, validated immuno-oncology pathways designed with optimized pharmacologic properties for improved clinical outcomes, including the TIGIT/CD226 axis and the adenosine pathway. iTeos Therapeutics is headquartered in Watertown, MA with a research center in Gosselies, Belgium.
