Sirtex Medical appoints Kevin R. Smith as Chief Executive Officer
Interim CEO unanimously chosen to lead global operations in patient-first oncology innovation
WOBURN, Mass., Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirtex Medical, a leading manufacturer of targeted liver cancer therapies, today announced the appointment of Kevin R. Smith as Chief Executive Officer of Sirtex Medical Pty Ltd. Sirtex is a global healthcare business with offices and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Australia, Germany and Singapore.
The Sirtex Board unanimously appointed Smith based on his proven leadership, expertise in the healthcare and pharmaceutical space, and accomplishments during his tenure at Sirtex.
According to Minfang "Alex" Wu from CDH Investments, Sirtex's majority shareholder, Kevin is the ideal fit for the organization. "Kevin brings an exceptional background in leadership that we believe will drive the growth of Sirtex and lead it to an exciting future that benefits patients and employees."
Prior to his role as Interim CEO of Sirtex, Kevin served as Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing for the Americas, leading Sirtex's business development initiatives while implementing a commercial strategy for ongoing growth and expansion in Latin America. Earlier this year, Sirtex announced delivery of the 100,000th patient dose of SIR-Spheres® Y-90 resin microspheres, a treatment for patients with liver cancer.*
Forrest Shi, CEO of China Grand Pharmaceutical, Sirtex's other major shareholder, comments, "The appointment of Kevin isn't just the choice by the Board, but by everyone here at Sirtex. We are extremely confident Sirtex will be best served under Kevin's leadership. Based on the partnership we have had with Kevin in the past few months, we are very happy to view Sirtex as a platform for precision medicine and look forward to the bright future ahead."
"Kevin is a remarkable member of the Sirtex senior leadership team who truly embodies our values and appreciates everyone in the Sirtex family," says Cathleen Lowndes, Chief Human Resources Officer of Sirtex. "We're thrilled to work with Kevin in achieving our mission to improve patients' lives."
Before joining Sirtex, Kevin was Executive Vice President of Business Development at Gel-e, Inc., a startup company based at the University of Maryland specializing in advanced material hemostasis products. His previous positions include leadership roles at Sensium Medical, Teleflex Medical, Hill-Rom, Zoll Medical and Smiths Group.
"I am honored and excited to lead the outstanding team we have at Sirtex as Chief Executive Officer," says Kevin. "I look forward to continuing to work with our extraordinary senior leadership team, board of directors and extended families at CDH and CGP. We are fortunate to have the most talented, global organization in our industry. Together, we will maximize the value of Sirtex through our patient-first focus, organic growth initiatives, acquisition strategy and the best career experiences for our people."
*In the United States, SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres received Premarket Approval (PMA) from the FDA and are indicated for the treatment of non-resectable metastatic liver tumors from primary colorectal cancer in combination with intrahepatic artery chemotherapy using floxuridine. SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres are approved for the treatment of inoperable liver tumors in Australia, the European Union, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and several countries in Asia, such as India and Singapore.
About Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) using SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres
SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres is a prescription device for the treatment of inoperable liver tumors. It is a minimally invasive treatment that delivers high doses of high-energy beta radiation directly to the tumors. SIRT is administered to patients by interventional radiologists, who infuse millions of radioactive resin microspheres via a catheter into the liver arteries that supply blood to the tumors. By using the tumors' blood supply, the microspheres selectively target liver tumors with a dose of radiation that is up to 40 times higher than conventional radiotherapy, while sparing healthy tissue.
About Sirtex
Sirtex Medical is a global healthcare business with offices in the U.S., Australia, Germany and Singapore, working to improve outcomes in people with cancer. Our current lead product is a targeted radiation therapy for liver cancer called SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres. More than 100,000 doses have been supplied to treat patients with liver cancer at more than 1,000 medical centers in over 40 countries. For more information, visit www.sirtex.com.
SIR-Spheres® is a registered trademark of Sirtex SIR-Spheres Pty Ltd.
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