Norwegian EXACT Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Rafiq Hasan as CEO

Bayer veteran tasked with driving commercialization of proprietary Acoustic Cluster Therapy(ACT®)-based pipeline at EXACT Therapeutics, formerly known as Phoenix Solutions

EXACT THERAPEUTICS AS, a clinical stage precision medicine company utilizing Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT®) across multiple therapeutic areas, today announced it has appointed Dr Rafiq Hasan as CEO. He joins as the GE Healthcare spin-out, formerly known as Phoenix Solutions, reports strong progress in its First in Man ACTivate-trial (NCT04021277), investigating ACT® combination with standard of care chemotherapy for the treatment of hepatic metastases secondary to colorectal and pancreatic cancers.

"We are thrilled to attract a world-leading pharma professional and physician of Rafiq's stature, to propel EXACT to the next level of achievement,"

said Sir William Castell, Vice-Chairman of EXACT Therapeutics.

"Encouraged by the initial results of our ongoing Phase I trial, we are progressing towards our Phase II. Rafiq joins us at a critical time when we are increasingly focused on the commercial potential for Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT®). His in-depth appreciation of clinical development, market access and commercialisation will be invaluable in successfully driving forward the ACT® platform."

Dr Hasan gained his medical degree in Londonand has pursued a highly successful career in the pharma industry globally, including senior positions with Bayer and Novartis. He has a proven track record of leading global cross-functional teams to manage multi-billion dollar global franchises and deliver year on year sales growth. Most recently as SVP and Global Head of Ophthalmology at Bayer, Dr Hasan grew the business of Eylea® from launch to over USD 2.5bn in 5 years, including its launch in 5 indications in 3 years. 

Dr Hasan commented:

"There has been tremendous progress in the last 8 years within the field of microbubbles and sonoporation, driven forward by ACT® and EXACT Therapeutics. Through its targeted delivery, ACT® has the potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy of a multitude of products across numerous therapeutic areas. This exciting science with the potential to have a transformative impact on medicine and patients, and I could not pass up this opportunity to lead EXACT Therapeutics into its next phase. I am impressed with the preclinical data where ACT® shows efficacy across a range of drugs and disease models, whilst the clinical development is already underway with the Royal Marsden Hospital/the Institute of Cancer Research."