Inovio has changed its chief commercial officer ahead of the planned launch of its first DNA medicine, putting Merck veteran Steven Egge in charge of leading the strategy and operations.
The DNA medicine specialist created the chief commercial officer post in 2021. Back then, Inovio hired Mark Twyman to fill the position to support preparations to launch VGX-3100 in precancerous cervical dysplasia. A phase 3 failure persuaded the biotech to switch its focus to INO-3107, a potential recurrent respiratory papillomatosis treatment that it plans to submit for FDA approval this year.
Twyman discussed preparations to launch INO-3107 on an Inovio earnings call in May. Seven weeks later, Inovio revealed the appointment of Egge as chief commercial officer. The statement about the new hire makes no mention of Twyman.
Egge arrives as Inovio, a biotech founded at the start of the century, prepares to become a commercial company. Inovio CEO Jacqueline Shea discussed the preparations at an investor event in May, telling the attendees that “commercialization plans are well underway” and multiple work streams are on the go.
“We're really working to understand both the healthcare provider and the patient landscape,” Shea said. “We've been doing some claims database analysis to really understand where those patients are, which physicians they go to, so that we can really target our field force appropriately.”
Inovio is also thinking about how to build awareness of the rare disease targeted by INO-3107 and the fact that the first treatment for the condition could be coming to market, Shea said. Egge will bring experience gained at Sumitomo Pharma, Myovant Sciences and Merck to those tasks. The new hire spent 20 years at Merck, in which time he was involved in launches for Gardasil and other products.