Medical Director, Solid Tumor Clinical Development

Overview:

Founded in 1886 in Naples under the name of Farmacia Internazionale, Menarini moved in 1915 to Florence where the Group’s headquarters are still located today. High quality therapeutics and diagnostics solutions for patients, ethics as our underlying principle, dedication to innovation and advancement, strong people centricity and environmental sustainability. These five pillars form the foundation of the Menarini Group, an Italian pharmaceutical company with nearly 135 years of history.

The Menarini Group is present in 140 countries around the world. Its companies span from Europe to Asia, to Africa and the Middle East, to Central America and to the United States where with the acquisition of Stemline Therapeutics, a NASDAQ-listed biopharmaceutical company, the company marked its entry into the US oncology market.

Thanks to the valuable contribution of around 18,000 employees, every year more than 500 million packs of drugs are produced at the Group's 18 manufacturing sites including a biotech plant for the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies that also serves external clients distributed across 6 continents.

Menarini has made a strong commitment to oncology, investing in a pipeline of five investigational compounds for the treatment of a variety of hematological and solid tumors. The acquisition of Stemline Therapeutics in June 2020, further strengthened Menarini’s oncology portfolio, adding both commercial and clinical-stage assets. ELZONRIS® (tagraxofusp) is a novel, first in class targeted therapy for patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). To date, Elzonris is the only approved treatment for BPDCN in the U.S. and EU, and the first and only approved CD123-targeted therapy. Tagraxofusp is also being evaluated as both a single agent and in combination, in other CD123+ indications, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and myelofibrosis (MF).

In Europe, Menarini Stemline also commercializes Nexpovio®, a first-in-class oral exportin 1 (XPO1) inhibitor for multiple myeloma in the UK, Switzerland, European Economic Area, CIS countries, Latin America and Turkey. Nexpovio is approved for use in combination with dexamethasone for treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome inhibitors, two immunomodulatory agents and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy; and in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. Nexpovio’s marketing authorization is valid in the EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Northern Ireland, and it has been commercially available in Germany and Austria since the fourth quarter of 2022.

In January 2023, Stemline Therapeutics, received U.S. FDA approval for ORSERDU™ (elacestrant), the first and only treatment specifically indicated for postmenopausal women or adult men with ER-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer. ESR1 mutations cause tumors to become resistant to endocrine therapy, and up to 40% of patients with ER+, HER2- mBC have tumors which harbor this mutation. ORSERDU is the first endocrine innovation in more than 20 years, and specifically addresses a major unmet need. Elacestrant is also being investigated in several clinical trials in metastatic breast cancer disease, alone or in combination with other therapies. A Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Menarini’s commitment to oncology is also reflected in the investments made in the liquid biopsy diagnostic field through its affiliate Menarini Silicon Biosystems (MSB), a pioneer in rare cell analysis and non-invasive, advanced diagnostic solutions.   MSB’s CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Test is the first and only clinically validated blood test cleared by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for detecting and counting CTCs in metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer when used in conjunction with other clinical monitoring methods.

Since 2021, MSB is offering in the US a menu of non-invasive Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs) provided through its CLIA/CAP accredited US-based Lab. The services include CMC enumeration, CTC enumeration and PDL-1/HER2 biomarker and offer a minimally invasive approach to follow cancer patient’s therapeutic journey.

In 2022, the company launched the CELLSEARCH® Circulating Multiple Myeloma Cell (CMMC) Enumeration LDT, the first-of-its-kind, which directly measures levels of plasma cells in the blood of patients. This test provides new, complementary information to that of the bone marrow biopsy and other standard-of-care measures. Due to its minimally invasive nature, it can be performed serially to assess plasma cell burden without requiring repeated bone marrow biopsies.

Menarini's vision and uniqueness in oncology is to bring together innovative therapeutic solutions and advanced liquid biopsy-based diagnostics for faster, more effective and precise patient management.

It is an exciting time in the company’s development and an excellent opportunity for individuals joining us to contribute to building and shaping Menarini Stemline’s Oncology business.

The Senior/Medical Director, Clinical Development Solid Tumor will be responsible for driving the global clinical development strategy in solid tumors, specifically Stemline’s Breast Cancer product, Elecestrant. The incumbent will be responsible for providing critical input into the strategy, development, management, and implementation of Phase 1-4 clinical studies by closely working with the Clin Ops colleagues; leading multi-disciplinary teams charged with guiding clinical development and subsequent regulatory submissions. This includes responsibility for the design and execution of first-in-human through registration-enabling studies.

• Represent the clinical science line function on global program team(s) and contribute to strategic planning and execution of clinical development plan for the assigned assets being developed in solid tumors.
• Lead the development of clinical study protocols, protocol amendments, study guides, protocol training materials and other clinical study related documents based on the global development plan.
• Perform medical monitoring (safety data review and identify potential signals), responses to site inquiries, and work with CRO medical monitors when appropriate.
• Take medical responsibility in data analysis and interpretation, reporting and communication to ensure consistency and relevance of medical content and scientific messages across Clinical Study Report, health authority briefing books, and NDA/BLA submission documents, etc.
• Contribute to operational aspects of study conduct and patient enrolment efforts including participation in site training, initiation and activation and subsequent site engagement activities.
• Maintain focus on robust study conduct and quality data generation.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop unique and innovative clinical strategies to significantly shorten the development cycle in the face of an evolving regulatory landscape.
• Responsible for phase I – III clinical development of products.
• May oversee the work of Medical and/or Scientific Directors and of Clinical Scientists working on the same or related programs.

• Medical Degree with 7+ years pharma/biotech experience.
  • Board certified oncologist and/or training in oncology is strongly preferred.
• Experience developing clinical strategy for oncology products (Phase I-III) leading to successful regulatory submission(s) is required.
• Training in Breast Cancer and/or experience developing Breast Cancer compounds within the industry is required.
• Recognized expert in clinical trials: working understanding of statistical principles, medical monitoring; demonstrated ability to perform literature research, analyses, and author clinical trial publications.
• Working knowledge of GCP, ICH, FDA, and EMEA regulations.
• Excellent and effective written and verbal communication skills with all levels of the organization.
• Ability to work cross-functionally, partners with oncology development functions such as: Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Statistics, PK/PD and others such as commercial and/or HEOR or other functions as required,
• Experience communicating and interacting with investigations, KOLs, regulatory agencies, and advisors.
• Experience working with the principles and techniques of data analysis, interpretation, and clinical relevance.
• Solid knowledge of compliance and global regulatory requirements (ICH) for development of pharmaceutical candidates/products (required).
• Proven ability to represent the Company’s interest effectively in interactions with partners and regulatory agencies.
• Acts as clinical lead and actively solicits opinion leader interactions related to the disease area(s)
• Ability to lead a dynamic group in a fast-paced and hands-on environment.
• Excellent scientific standing among peers and the ability to address issues with scientific rigor and creative solutions.
• Ability to develop and implement strategic growth plans.
• Prior leadership experience preferred.
• Comfortable with ambiguity yet be self-motivated and timeline driven.

Stemline Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.