Circle Pharma strengthens its executive leadership team with two senior appointments in Clinical Development

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Circle Pharma, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company advancing the discovery and development of intrinsically cell-permeable macrocycles, announced today the appointments of Michael Cox, PharmD., MHSc, BCOP as senior vice president, head of Early Development, and Edward Garmey, M.D., as its new consulting chief medical officer. These additions to the leadership team further bolster Circle Pharma’s capabilities in oncology drug development as it advances its Cyclin A/B inhibitor program into clinical studies.

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Dr. Michael Cox, Senior Vice President, Head of Early Development, Circle Pharma, Inc. (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are thrilled to welcome Michael and Edward to Circle Pharma. Their exceptional backgrounds and deep expertise in clinical development and medical affairs will be instrumental in accelerating our efforts to develop groundbreaking oncology therapeutics. We look forward to their contributions as we advance our lead program into the clinic and continue to drive innovation in cancer treatment,” said David Earp, president and CEO of Circle Pharma. “We are in a period of dynamic growth as we prepare to advance our Cyclin A/B inhibitor into clinical studies. With the leadership and expertise of Michael and Edward, the company is well-positioned to bring its transformative macrocycle therapeutics to patients.”

Dr. Michael Cox will play a crucial role in driving the company’s clinical development mission, providing strategic leadership, and overseeing the execution of early-stage clinical programs. He has held key leadership positions in oncology drug development, including serving as vice president, Clinical Development at Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., where he successfully led global oncology programs across all stages of development, including leading the development and regulatory strategy for tovorafinib, an investigational pan-RAF kinase inhibitor that has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Previously, Dr. Cox was the executive director of Pediatric Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Loxo Oncology Inc. (acquired by Eli Lilly and Co.) and contributed to the development of multiple oncology assets including larotrectinib, selitrectinib and selpercatinib. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Bayer Healthcare AG, Merck KGaA, and Amgen.

Dr. Cox holds a Master’s of Health Science in Clinical Research from Duke University, a Doctorate of Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University, and completed post-graduate training at the National Cancer Institute, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina.

In addition to Dr. Cox’s appointment, Circle Pharma is pleased to welcome Edward Garmey, M.D., as the new consulting Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Garmey will provide clinical strategy leadership and medical expertise, guiding the clinical development of the company’s pipeline programs and fostering strong partnerships with key stakeholders. He is a highly regarded former academic hematologist-oncologist with over 17 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Dr. Garmey has served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Cerulean Pharma, where he led the initiation of multi-national clinical trials for multiple drug programs and played a key role in the company’s successful IPO. Earlier in his career, he was the Vice President of Clinical Development at ArQule.

Dr. Garmey is an alumnus of Harvard and New York Universities and completed medical training at Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He also undertook research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and the Botswana-Harvard Partnership for H.I.V. Research.

About Circle Pharma, Inc.

South San Francisco-based Circle Pharma is advancing the discovery and development of intrinsically cell-permeable macrocycles that can be delivered by multiple routes, including oral administration. Circle Pharma’s MXMO™ platform combines structure-based rational drug design and advanced synthetic chemistry to develop first-in-class macrocycle therapeutics for challenging targets to address unmet clinical needs. Circle Pharma is focusing its development efforts on cyclins, which are master regulators of the machinery that controls progression of cells through the cell cycle and are key drivers in many cancers.

To learn more about Circle Pharma please visit www.circlepharma.com.

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