Principia Biopharma Appoints Shawn Tomasello to Its Board of Directors

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Principia Biopharma Inc. (Nasdaq: PRNB), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing transformative oral therapies to patients with significant unmet medical needs in immunology and oncology, today announced the appointment of Shawn Tomasello to its Board of Directors. 

“We are very excited to have Shawn join our Board as she brings an extensive track record in developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products,” said Martin Babler, president and chief executive officer at Principia Biopharma. “With her broad sales and marketing expertise from several pioneering biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and her experience in launching new products, Shawn is ideally suited to be part of Principia’s long-term vision.”

With more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Ms. Tomasello has substantial commercial and strategic experience. From 2015 to 2018, Ms. Tomasello was chief commercial officer at leading immuno-oncology cell therapy company Kite Pharma, which was acquired by Gilead Sciences. Prior to this, she served as chief commercial officer and oversaw the launch of Imbruvica at Pharmacyclics, Inc., which was subsequently acquired by AbbVie, Inc. 

Ms. Tomasello previously was president of the Americas, Hematology and Oncology at Celgene Corporation where she managed over $4 billion in product revenues and was instrumental in various global expansion and acquisition strategies. She has also held senior positions at Genentech, Pfizer Laboratories, Miles Pharmaceuticals and Procter & Gamble. She received an MBA from Murray State University and a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati.

About Principia Biopharma
Principia is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing transformative oral therapies to patients with significant unmet medical needs in immunology and oncology. Principia’s proprietary Tailored Covalency^® platform enables the company to design and develop reversible and irreversible covalent, small molecule inhibitors with potencies and selectivities that have the potential to rival those of injectable biologics yet maintain the convenience of a pill. PRN1008, a reversible covalent BTK inhibitor, is being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with pemphigus, an orphan autoimmune disease, and in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with immune thrombocytopenia, a rare hematological disease. PRN2246/SAR442168, a covalent BTK inhibitor which crosses the blood-brain barrier, is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with multiple sclerosis and has been partnered with Sanofi for that disease and other diseases of the central nervous system. PRN1371, a covalent inhibitor of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) is being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial in patients with bladder cancer. For more information, please visit www.principiabio.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, Principia’s expectations regarding the Principia pipeline of product candidates and results from its current clinical trials. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that may cause Principia’s actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the Principia’s business in general, see the risk factors set forth in Principia’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Principia specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Contact
Christopher Chai, CFO
[email protected]

Media Contact
Paul Laland, VP, Corporate Communications
415.519.6610