CRANBURY, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT), a clinical-stage company advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies for rare childhood disorders, today announces the appointment of Fady Malik, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Malik brings nearly 25 years of experience as an internationally recognized cardiovascular physician-scientist and highly successful biopharmaceutical executive. He will serve as an independent non-executive director.
“Fady is a tremendous addition to our Board of Directors, especially at this exciting time as we seek agency alignment on a Phase 2, potentially registration-enabling clinical study for Danon Disease, and continue to build and expand our Wave 2 pipeline,” said Gaurav Shah, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Pharma. “Fady’s deep understanding of R&D with a focus on cardiology, hands on experience building and growing a biotech company and success bringing a medicine from the bench to patients, especially in cardiology, will be incredibly valuable as we work to deliver our world-class pipeline to patients with rare diseases such as Danon. I am thrilled to welcome Fady to the board and look forward to his valuable perspective and experience.”
Dr. Malik is Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Cytokinetics, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, where he has worked in a variety of positions since he joined the founders to launch the company. At Cytokinetics, Dr. Malik has led R&D efforts resulting in multiple Investigational New Drug submissions, advancement of four programs to Phase 3, and the submission of the company’s first New Drug Application. Dr. Malik is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Cardiology Division of the University of California, San Francisco, where he has held an appointment since 2000. Until 2019, he was a practicing Interventional Cardiologist at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center for over 18 years.
“I am thrilled to join Rocket’s Board of Directors to work with the passionate and motivated leaders of this pioneering company seeking to advance the field of gene therapy as it might benefit patients,” said Dr. Malik. “I am particularly impressed with the Company’s robust and deep pipeline of clinical-stage programs in conditions of high unmet medical need, most lacking alternative treatments. I hope to contribute to Rocket’s goal of bringing these treatments to patients as quickly as possible.”
Dr. Malik is an inventor on more than 20 issued patents and has authored or co-authored over 60 publications appearing in prominent peer-reviewed journals. He received a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. and M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco.
About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) is advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies that correct the root cause of complex and rare childhood disorders. The Company’s platform-agnostic approach enables it to design the best therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options for patients afflicted with rare genetic diseases. Rocket’s clinical programs using lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia. Rocket’s first clinical program using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is for Danon Disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. For more information about Rocket, please visit www.rocketpharma.com.
