NEWTON, Mass. – Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:KPTI), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company pioneering novel cancer therapies, today announced the appointment of Richard Paulson as Karyopharm’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective May 3, 2021. Mr. Paulson will also remain a member of the Board of Directors. He will succeed Michael G. Kauffman, MD, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer and Sharon Shacham, PhD, MBA, as President. Dr. Kauffman will continue in his role as a member of the Board of Directors and assume a new role with the Company as Senior Clinical Advisor. Dr. Shacham will continue in her roles as Chief Scientific Officer overseeing research, development and regulatory affairs and as Chair of the Company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Mr. Paulson, who most recently served as Executive Vice President of Ipsen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Ipsen North America, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on innovation and specialty care, has been a member of Karyopharm’s Board of Directors since February 2020 and brings over 25 years of global biopharmaceutical industry experience, including various international leadership roles transforming organizations and developing highly successful teams across three continents, where he has launched best-in-class products across multiple therapeutic areas including oncology medicines.
“I am honored to serve as Karyopharm’s next President and Chief Executive Officer and can’t thank Drs. Kauffman and Shacham enough for their vision, leadership, and immense contributions to the scientific and initial commercial success achieved by Karyopharm,” said Mr. Paulson. “Under Michael and Sharon’s leadership, the Company’s lead medicine, XPOVIO®, has received three separate FDA approvals in the past two years, along with an approval in the European Union, and the resulting impact on improving the lives of patients with cancer has been remarkable.”
Mr. Paulson continued, “As Karyopharm is now at a pivotal point in its commercialization efforts, I am excited to lead the Company in its next chapter of growth and innovation as we seek to expand XPOVIO’s impact across indications and geographies. Importantly, Karyopharm’s culture is rooted in a commitment to patients, which is in complete alignment with my personal value system. I look forward to leveraging my experience in global product commercialization and executive leadership to further advance Karyopharm’s impact on patients and their caregivers with the goal of continuing to build our myeloma franchise and expand into additional hematologic and solid tumor indications.”
In Dr. Kauffman’s new role as Senior Clinical Advisor, he will help guide additional clinical development for Karyopharm’s robust pipeline of programs, with an increasing focus on solid tumor indications.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to help found and lead Karyopharm, along with Dr. Sharon Shacham, over the past twelve years,” said Dr. Kauffman. “With three FDA approvals as well as our first marketing authorization in Europe, I believe now more than ever that flawless commercial execution will be imperative for Karyopharm to achieve its long-term goals. Having worked closely with Richard over the past year, I am confident that he is extremely well positioned to lead Karyopharm as we continue the important work ahead for the Company. Richard has a tremendous track record of success in leading commercial companies and I look forward to working with him as our Company’s next CEO.”
“Mr. Paulson is a passionate, highly accomplished biopharmaceutical leader whose understanding of the commercial oncology space will be critical to Karyopharm as we seek to expand our commercial reach,” said Barry Greene, Karyopharm’s lead independent director and Chair of the Nominating, Corporate Governance & Compliance Committee. “Having worked directly with Richard as a fellow Board member, we are thrilled to have him take on an even greater role as Karyopharm’s next Chief Executive Officer and on behalf of the entire Board, I would like thank both Michael and Sharon for their tremendous leadership and dedication to Karyopharm’s past and future success.”
About Richard Paulson
Mr. Paulson has served as a member of Karyopharm’s Board of Directors since February 2020. He was previously an Executive Vice President of Ipsen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Ipsen North America, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on innovation and specialty care in areas of oncology, neuroscience and rare diseases, from February 2018 to May 2021. Mr. Paulson previously worked at Amgen for 10 years holding varying leadership positions across Europe and North America, including Vice President and General Manager of Amgen’s U.S. Oncology Business Unit, and prior to that served as the Vice President of Marketing for Amgen’s U.S. Oncology Business, General Manager of Amgen Germany, and General Manager of Amgen Central & Eastern Europe. Prior to Amgen, Mr. Paulson held a number of global leadership positions at Pfizer Inc., including serving as General Manager of Pfizer South Africa and Pfizer Czech Republic. Mr. Paulson also previously held a variety of sales, marketing, and market access roles with increasing seniority at GlaxoWellcome in Canada. Mr. Paulson has an MBA from the University of Toronto, Canada and an undergraduate degree in commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.
About Karyopharm Therapeutics
Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KPTI) is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company pioneering novel cancer therapies and dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of first-in-class drugs directed against nuclear export for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Karyopharm’s Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compounds function by binding with and inhibiting the nuclear export protein XPO1 (or CRM1). Karyopharm’s lead compound, XPOVIO® (selinexor), is approved in the U.S. in multiple hematologic malignancy indications, including in combination with Velcade® (bortezomib) and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma after at least one prior therapy, in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma and as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. NEXPOVIO® (selinexor) has also been granted conditional marketing authorization in combination with dexamethasone for adult patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma by the European Commission. In addition to single-agent and combination activity against a variety of human cancers, SINE compounds have also shown biological activity in models of neurodegeneration, inflammation, autoimmune disease, certain viruses and wound-healing. Karyopharm has several investigational programs in clinical or preclinical development. For more information, please visit www.karyopharm.com.
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