NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[Poor Man -]

Right, the PR from the company mentions Merck and Keytruda 14 times, more than Duffy's name, which is mentioned 11 times. It just appears that LP is using this PR as vehicle to hint Merck's involvement.

BETHESDA, MD, September 4, 2019 – Northwest Biotherapeutics (NWBO) (“NW Bio”), a biotechnology company developing DCVax® personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, today announced that it has expanded its senior management team with the addition of Dr. Kevin T. Duffy as Vice President, Medical Affairs and External Collaborations.

Dr. Duffy is joining NW Bio from Merck, where he has served as Research Scientific Director in the Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) program during the last five years. Dr. Duffy’s roles included scientific support and outreach to health care providers and national and regional scientific leaders in over 20 different solid tumors and hematologic malignancies (blood cancers and lymphomas) relating to Merck’s clinical development and commercialization of Keytruda, as well as ongoing scientific support for Merck’s Investigator-Initiated Study Program. He served as the national contact point between the scientific affairs team working with medical professionals in the field and the internal research and development team in Merck for the Keynote-024 study in first-line non-small cell lung cancer, the Keynote-522 and -756 studies in triple negative breast cancer and ER+/HER2- breast cancer, and the Keynote-641 study in metastatic prostate cancer.

Dr. Duffy also served as Scientific Affairs Strategy and Training Lead in Merck’s Global Center for Scientific Affairs for Merck’s immuno-oncology franchise for hematologic malignancies. Dr. Duffy was the recipient of numerous achievement awards during his tenure at Merck.

In his roles at Merck, Dr. Duffy has been involved in the Keytruda development program from its early days through its wide commercialization. He has gained extensive experience with clinical trial designs and strategies, clinical results and feedback from medical professionals. He has built a nationwide network with key opinion leaders in both the clinical and the scientific arenas.

Prior to his time at Merck, Dr. Duffy served in Medical Affairs and Scientific Affairs positions in several pharmaceutical companies, including as a Regional Scientific Manager for oncology and cardiovascular therapeutics at AstraZeneca. Dr. Duffy has a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology and structural biology, with a focus on oncology, as well as an MBA.

Dr. Duffy commented “My years at Merck, from inception of the Keytruda programs, have been exciting and invaluable. As I look forward now to the next wave of advances in immune therapies for cancer, I am excited about the potential of NW Bio’s DCVax technologies to deliver new breakthroughs for patients. I hope to build on my experience in immuno-oncology and my network of relationships in the field to help NW Bio achieve this potential.”

Linda Powers, CEO of NW Bio, noted that “Dr. Duffy’s experience with immune therapies for cancer and one of the most successful product development programs in the field will be an invaluable addition to our team. We at NW Bio could not be more excited about Dr. Duffy’s choice to join us and help realize the broad potential of DCVax.”