-- Antigenics Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN - News) announced that Bruce A. Leicher has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president and general counsel. In this role, Mr. Leicher will be responsible for directing the overall legal activities of the company, reporting directly to the chairman and CEO.
"We are very pleased to have Bruce join our senior management team," said Garo H. Armen, PhD, chairman and CEO of Antigenics. "His comprehensive legal expertise in pharmaceutical development and commercialization, along with his experience in partnering and corporate transactions, will be very valuable and timely as Antigenics progresses from a late-stage development company to a commercial entity."
Mr. Leicher was most recently vice president, chief pharmaceutical counsel and compliance officer at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. While at Millennium, he was a leader in the creation of the commercial infrastructure to launch Velcade® (bortezomib) -- the first proteasome inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration -- as a treatment for multiple myeloma.
With 25 years of legal experience, Mr. Leicher has developed a specific expertise in implementing systems that facilitate accelerated product development and compliance with US and international regulatory requirements. He has also built and managed legal teams; trained clinical and R&D operations professionals to handle high-volume research and clinical contracts; participated in portfolio and strategic planning; and managed significant product partnering and acquisition transactions. Mr. Leicher received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Rochester in New York, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. |
