PharmaEssentia has hired Eric Vogel as its new head of U.S. commercialization as it looks to expand the label for rare blood cancer drug Besremi to a broader market.
The drug was first approved by the FDA for polycythemia vera in 2021, and PharmaEssentia is currently awaiting the agency’s decision by August 30, with expected expansion to essential thrombocythemia (ET).
Vogel will be working with us to support potential additional approvals in the summer and subsequent entry into this new and larger U.S. market.
He has the right experience, most recently serving as Group Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Incyte. There, he oversaw the company’s oncology and hematology portfolio, including commercial activities in the myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) market.
Dr. Ko-Chung Lin, Founder and CEO of PharmaEssentia, said in a statement:
“His deep expertise in the hematology and MPN markets, coupled with his strong track record in commercial execution, will be invaluable in driving Bethlemi’s global growth and preparing for a potential U.S. ET launch.”
Polycythemia vera (where Bethlemy first got the green light) is a rare, slowly progressing blood cancer in which the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells. Essential thrombocythemia is also a rare, slow-growing blood cancer in which the bone marrow produces too many platelets.
The subsequent ET indication would add approximately 148,000 patients in the United States, a much higher patient population than Bethlemi currently enjoys, given that PV is estimated to affect approximately 6,200 people annually in the United States.
