BeiGene, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer, has announced the appointment of Amy C. Peterson, M.D. as chief medical officer, Immuno-oncology.

Dr. Peterson will lead the global clinical development of BGB-A317, BeiGene’s PD-1 inhibitor; BGB-290, BeiGene’s PARP inhibitor; and the expanding pipeline of other immuno-oncology agents expected to enter clinical development. Dr. Eric Hedrick, currently serving as the interim chief medical officer, will continue to oversee global clinical hematology development including the program for BGB-3111, BeiGene’s BTK inhibitor, and will remain serving as an advisor as BeiGene continues to expand its global clinical development capabilities.  

“We are delighted to have Dr. Peterson join our team,” said John V. Oyler, founder, chief executive officer, and chairman of BeiGene. “BeiGene continues to expand its senior medical leadership in response to emerging global development opportunities, particularly in immuno-oncology. Amy’s broad experience in oncology drug development and her academic background in immuno-oncology research are well-suited to our expanding clinical development efforts. We very much look forward to her contribution in the continued growth and development of our existing and future pipeline and the company as a whole.”

“BeiGene has a robust pipeline of clinical stage, internally discovered molecules against validated targets as well as an expanding roster of candidates in the preclinical pipeline,” said Dr. Peterson. “I look forward to leveraging my past experiences to successfully build an organization that can bring these assets to market while continuing to expand the clinical pipeline.”

Prior to joining BeiGene, Dr. Peterson was vice president of Clinical Development at Medivation, where she was primarily responsible for the development of enzalutamide and talazoparib in breast cancer and of pidilizumab in diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. Previously, she served as associate group medical director at Genentech, where she was responsible for the development of early stage molecules targeting multiple major pathways in oncology. Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Peterson was an Instructor of Medicine in Oncology at the University of Chicago, where she conducted translational research in tumor immunology in conjunction with Dr. Thomas F. Gajewski.