BioXcel Appoints Eric K. Rowinsky, M.D. to its Boa

BRANFORD, Conn., Jan. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioXcel, a privately held biopharmaceutical company pioneering the integration of big data analytics and machine learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) with drug development expertise to advance the next wave of medicines, today announced the appointment of Dr. Eric K. Rowinsky to the Company’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Rowinsky joins BioXcel’s Board with extensive research and drug development experience, oncology and corporate strategy expertise, and broad scientific and medical knowledge. In his distinguished academic and business career, Dr. Rowinsky has held executive leadership and board roles at leading public companies, including Biogen Inc., Navidea, BIND Therapeutics, Inc., and Fortress Biosciences, Inc.

“I am very excited to be working with the BioXcel team and look forward to making significant contributions to advancing the company’s promising pipeline assets.  BioXcel has a first of its kind artificial intelligence based technology platform and expertise in drug development that has resulted in the identification of multiple promising therapeutic assets,” said Dr. Rowinsky.  He added, “The Company’s successes to date are the beginning of what will be a transformational impact on today’s healthcare challenge and the growing unmet needs we are witnessing across multiple therapeutic areas.  I am extremely proud of the role I will play in BioXcel’s future accomplishments.”

“We are pleased to welcome Eric to BioXcel’s world-class Board. He has enormous, tremendous and an impressive track record in overseeing a number of successful clinical programs. Given our robust progress in transitioning to a next generation biotechnology company, Eric's addition to our Board comes at an opportune time as we continue to advance our drug candidates through clinical development,” said Dr. Vimal D. Mehta, CEO and Chairman of BioXcel.

Dr. Rowinsky is currently the Chief Scientific Officer of Oncology at ClearPath Development Company, a biotechnology company that partners with leading biopharmaceutical companies to expand early product pipeline opportunities and minimize financial impact. He is also the Executive Director at Rgenix, Inc., a clinical-stage oncology company that discovers and develops novel cancer targets using a unique platform that assesses microRNAs in cancer cells, and an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at New York University. Previously, Dr. Rowinsky served as Head of Research and Development, Executive Vice President, and Chief Medical Officer of Stemline Therapeutics and was the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Primrose Therapeutics (acquired by Kadmon Therapeutics Inc.). Prior to this, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ImClone Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to that, Dr. Rowinsky held several positions at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center’s Institute of Drug Development, including Director of the Institute, Director of Clinical Research and SBC Endowed Chair for Early Drug Development, and concurrently served as Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He has also served as an Associate Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and on active staff at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  Dr. Rowinsky has a BA in liberal Arts from New York University. He completed his medical training from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and residency in internal medicine University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Rowinsky held a fellowship in Medical Oncology and Drug Development from Johns Hopkins University.

About BioXcel BioXcel is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the integration of big data analytics and machine learning-based artificial intelligence with drug development expertise to advance the next wave of medicines, impacting the probability of success of drugs. Our focus is to develop innovative medicines that address immuno-oncology, neuroscience and rare diseases with high unmet medical need.  Committed to innovation, product excellence and partner success, BioXcel's global collaborations span the biopharmaceutical ecosystem.  We are headquartered in Branford, CT, USA with operations in Asia.

Contact Information: Anita Ganjoo Corporate Communications 203 957 2487