Former Bayer oncology head Robert Rosen joins AP Pharma's board

Robert Rosen, former global head of oncology at Bayer HealthCare, has joined the board of directors at specialty pharma company AP Pharma.

Rosen was in charge of Bayer's oncology efforts from 2005 to 2011, where he led the launch of Nexavar (sorafenib) for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.

He was also involved in pre-market activities for regorafenib in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours and colon cancer, as well as alpharadin for prostate cancer.

Prior to his time at Bayer, Rosen spent three years at Sanofi-Synthelabo as VP of its oncology business unit, and was responsobile for the launch of Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) for colon cancer.

AP Pharma's chair Kevin Tang said Rosen's experience developing cancer drugs would be a key addition to the company as it prepares to commercialise its lead product APF530, a preventative treatment for both acute- and delayed-onset chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

These side effects are among the most debilitating results of chemotherapy, and can lead to premature discontinuation of treatment, yet there is a serious unmet medical need in treating the condition.

"Unfortunately, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remains a debilitating side effect that can limit the effectiveness of cancer treatment," said Rosen.

"I look forward to working with the AP Pharma team to help bring APF530, a promising therapeutic option for this condition, to patients worldwide."