BOTHELL, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Board of Directors of Seagen today announced that President, CEO and Chairman Clay Siegall, Ph.D. is on a leave of absence. The company is aware of an alleged incident of domestic violence that occurred recently at Dr. Siegall’s home. Dr. Siegall has denied these allegations and has informed the company that he is engaged in a divorce. The Board of Directors has formed a committee of independent directors and is conducting a thorough investigation with the assistance of an independent law firm. Roger Dansey, M.D., Seagen’s Chief Medical Officer since 2018, has been appointed Interim CEO.
“We have high standards for employee conduct, we condemn domestic violence in all its forms, and we are treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness,” said Nancy Simonian, M.D., Chair of the Seagen Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. “At this time, the facts are still uncertain, and our decisions will be guided by the outcome of our investigation.”
Felix J. Baker, Ph.D., Lead Independent Director of Seagen, added, “The Board has full confidence in Dr. Dansey, the Executive Committee and the entire Seagen team, which has demonstrated outstanding performance over the past several years with four approved drugs, a robust pipeline, leadership in antibody-drug conjugates, and an international footprint. We have substantial momentum and remain steadfast in our belief that Seagen is a strong and unique company that is well-positioned to advance our mission to improve the lives of cancer patients around the world.”
“Seagen is an extraordinary company, and I am deeply committed to continuing our standards of excellence in developing and commercializing transformative medicines,” said Dr. Dansey. “Our strong leadership team is dedicated to working with our exceptional employees around the globe on addressing the unmet needs of cancer patients.”
Dr. Dansey joined Seagen as Chief Medical Officer in 2018, bringing extensive experience in cancer drug development. His deep oncology background and proven leadership has helped Seagen evolve into a global, multi-product oncology company with a robust and diverse pipeline. Prior to joining Seagen, Dr. Dansey 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 held leadership positions at Gilead Sciences and Amgen. He holds an M.D. from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He serves as a member of the board of directors for INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
About Seagen
Seagen Inc. 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 our marketed products and robust pipeline, visit www.seagen.com and follow @SeagenGlobal on Twitter.
