Seagen Names David R. Epstein as Chief Executive Officer and Director
10.11.2022 15:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Seagen Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed David R. Epstein as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Epstein brings more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including more than 25 years at Novartis where he built its oncology business unit from initiation to second largest in the world and then served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG. More recently, he was executive partner at Flagship Pioneering. In addition, Seagen announced that Roger Dansey, M.D., who has served as Seagen’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) since 2018 and as Interim CEO since May 2022, has been appointed President, Research and Development. In this new role, Dr. Dansey will continue to serve as CMO reporting to David.
“Following a comprehensive search process, the Board selected David to serve as Seagen’s next CEO. He shares Seagen’s belief that our future is bright as we continue to build world-class capabilities in order to develop and commercialize new innovative treatments that improve the lives of patients with cancer. David’s demonstrated ability to build and scale a global oncology business, his experience in both large multi-faceted organizations and small biotechnology startups, combined with deep oncology knowledge, provide the strategic and operational expertise needed to lead Seagen to the next level,” said Felix J. Baker, Ph.D., Chair of the Board. “We are extremely grateful for Roger’s successful leadership and dedication as interim CEO. We look forward to Roger being able to focus his efforts on further strengthening our early research efforts, as he has successfully done for development, and driving the innovative engine that has been the heart of Seagen to have an even greater impact on cancer patients in the future.”
Mr. Epstein said, “I have long admired Seagen as a leader in the development and commercialization of transformative cancer therapies. Seagen is a pioneer in antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology with a portfolio of four approved medicines, a diverse pipeline of promising programs, and a science-driven, patient-first culture. I am honored to become CEO and work with the experienced team to further deliver on Seagen’s mission to make a meaningful difference so that people who have been diagnosed with cancer can live better lives.”
“I welcome David to the Seagen team and look forward to working closely with him as we continue to bring forward novel ADCs and other targeted treatments for cancer patients,” said Dr. Dansey. “I am excited to bring my passion for science and innovation to my expanded role overseeing research and development as we continue to deliver on the full potential of our pipeline and programs.”
About David R. Epstein
David R. Epstein has more than 30 years of drug development, deal making, commercialization and people leadership experience on a global scale. Most recently, he was executive partner at Flagship Pioneering, a builder of breakthrough bioplatform companies. From 2010 to mid-2016 he served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG. Previously, David started and led Novartis’ Oncology and Molecular Diagnostic units. Over the course of his career, he led the development and commercialization of over 30 new molecular entities, including major breakthroughs such as Glivec, Tasigna, Gilenya, Cosentyx and Entresto. Mr. Epstein holds a B.S. Degree in Pharmacy from Rutgers University College of Pharmacy and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
About Roger Dansey, M.D.
Dr. Dansey joined Seagen as CMO in 2018, bringing extensive experience in cancer drug development. Previously, he was Therapeutic Area Head for Late-Stage Oncology at Merck & Co., Inc., where he was responsible for registration efforts for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) across multiple tumor types. Earlier in his career, Dr. Dansey was the Vice President of Oncology Clinical Research at Gilead Sciences and the Global Development Lead for Xgeva (denosumab) at Amgen, where he held multiple roles in oncology and hematology.
About Seagen
Seagen is a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops and commercializes transformative cancer medicines to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Seagen is headquartered in the Seattle, Washington area, and has locations in California, Canada, Switzerland and the European Union. For more information on the company’s marketed products and robust pipeline, visit and follow @SeagenGlobal on Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward looking, such as those, among others, relating to the potential of Seagen’s pipeline and programs, and the company’s efforts to build world-class capabilities in order to develop and commercialize new innovative treatments and to bring forward novel ADCs and other targeted treatments for cancer patients. Factors that may cause such a difference include, without limitation, the difficulty and uncertainty of pharmaceutical product development, the risk of adverse events or safety signals, the inability to show sufficient activity in clinical trials and the possibility of adverse regulatory actions. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by Seagen is contained under the caption “Risk Factors” included in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Seagen disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221110005224/en/
Contact information
Peggy Pinkston
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
(425) 527-4160
ppinkston@seagen.com
Douglas Maffei, Ph.D.
Vice President, Investor Relations
(425) 527-4881
dmaffei@seagen.com
David Caouette
Vice President, Corporate Communications
(310) 430-3476
dcaouette@seagen.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Quectel Expands 5G Antenna Portfolio With Ten Versatile Combo Solutions, From Compact 2-In-1 to Rugged 9-In-1 Designs11.11.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT solutions provider, today announces ten external combo antennas that combine 5G with GNSS, Wi-Fi or both in a single housing. Instead of specifying, fitting and testing a separate antenna for each radio, device makers can choose one unit matched to the size, technology mix and operating environment of their deployment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261111461614/en/ Quectel expands 5G antenna portfolio with ten versatile combo solutions, from compact 2-in-1 to rugged 9-in-1 designs Across the family, each antenna combines multiple omnidirectional elements with high isolation between them to limit self-interference. Most models cover 5G from 600MHz to 6000MHz and remain backward compatible with 4G, 3G, 2G, LTE Cat-M and NB-IoT networks. All support screw mounting, some also adhesive mounting, and housings are built for outdoor use with ratings from IP65 up to IP69K. “Ev
Quectel SP900BF-AP Smart Module Sets the Pace for Edge AI with 100 TOPS of Computing Power11.11.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider, today announced the SP900BF-AP, a smart module that lets robots, inspection systems and edge gateways run large AI models on the device itself. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261111252890/en/ Quectel SP900BF-AP smart module sets the pace for Edge AI with 100 TOPS of computing power Built on the Qualcomm Dragonwing™ IQ-9075 Processor and delivering up to 100 TOPS of on-device AI compute, the module enables industrial OEMs to integrate advanced AI directly into their products, reducing latency, bandwidth costs and data privacy risks associated with cloud-based processing. By processing data locally, manufacturers can support real-time robotics, automated inspection and other demanding industrial applications while retaining greater control over sensitive production data. Long-term hardware availability also helps meet the extended product l
Lattice and NXP Deliver Flexible, Secure Computing Solution for the Industrial Edge10.11.2026 23:00:00 EET | Press release
Lattice Semiconductor (NASDAQ: LSCC), the low power programmable and platform firmware leader, today announced the Lattice NXP PCIe® Companion solution, jointly enabled and promoted with NXP® Semiconductors. Pairing NXP’s i.MX 95 applications processor with Lattice Nexus™-based FPGAs over PCIe, the solution addresses the real-time connectivity, deterministic I/O, and security challenges in industrial automation, robotics, and intelligent edge applications. The joint solution is available in Lattice CertusPro™-NX or Lattice Certus™-NX configurations as companion chips to NXP i.MX 95 SoC compute processors, deepening a long-standing collaboration between Lattice and NXP spanning industrial, data center, and networking applications. The Lattice FPGA adds low latency, deterministic I/O alongside the NXP applications processor, delivering combined capabilities across real-time processing, AI, and custom I/O to help customers modernize aging designs for new interface standards. It supports e
FDA Approves PIMJETMI ® (pimicotinib) for Patients with Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor10.11.2026 20:14:00 EET | Press release
Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PIMJETMI® (pimicotinib), a once-daily oral colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor, as a systemic treatment for adults with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) for which surgical resection may cause worsening functional limitation or severe morbidity. “People living with TGCT have long faced difficult treatment decisions as they navigate a disease that can significantly affect their daily lives including their mobility,” said Danny Bar-Zohar, CEO Healthcare and Member of the Executive Board for the Healthcare business of Merck. “Translating scientific innovation into clinically meaningful advances for people living with rare tumors is a strategic imperative for our company, as we continue our commitment to addressing significant unmet needs. With the approval of PIMJETMI in the U.S., we strengthen our leadership position and growing
Smartsheet Integrates With Claude Sheets, Making It Easy to Start Projects in Claude and Launch Workflows Across Teams with Smartsheet10.11.2026 19:57:00 EET | Press release
Smartsheet, the AI-powered enterprise work management platform, today announced a new integration with Claude Sheets, the new spreadsheet artifact in Claude from Anthropic, now in beta. With the new Send to Smartsheet feature, people who build a tracker or plan in Claude can move it into Smartsheet in a few clicks. There they can put it to work with their team, connected to the plans, projects, people and systems their organization already runs on. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110763156/en/ With the new Send to Smartsheet feature, people who build a tracker or plan in Claude can move it into Smartsheet in a few clicks. More and more work now begins in a conversation with Claude, and the Smartsheet MCP connector for Claude puts the entire power of the Smartsheet platform into play for users. Now with Claude Sheets, a person can think through a launch plan, a project tracker or a budget, and shape with the
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom