126 Business View - February 2015
ing as president at ChemGenix Pharmaceuticals until
2009, then re-joined with several former ChemGenix
colleagues – after that company had been acquired by
another entity – to create DelMar in 2011.
Synribo, now sold by Teva Pharmaceuticals, became
Brown’s first FDA-approved drug to treat chronic my-
elogenous leukemia in 2012, and DelMar is now hop-
ing to repeat the success with VAL-083, which has re-
ceived orphan drug designation in Europe and the U.S.
for the treatment of gliomas and is approved in China
for treatment of both chronic myelogenous leukemia
and lung cancer.
“That creates a great opportunity for us,” Bacha said.
“We believe we can address significant issues remain-
ing in the treatment of glioblastoma with VAL-083, and
potentially other cancers. But there’s also a pipeline
of other assets that are sort of waiting in the wings,
which we can access to begin to build our company as
we go forward.”
DelMar began as a private Canada-based company,
though it now maintains an administrative-only pres-
ence in Vancouver, B.C., while its research and clinical
work is done out of Menlo Park, Calif.
The focus on orphan drugs not only brings with it the
aforementioned opportunities for speedier regulatory
approvals and market exclusivity, but will also require
a smaller sales force and related infrastructure be-
cause of the comparatively low number of clinicians
HEALTHCARE
