ORIC Pharmaceuticals has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Kevin Brodbeck, PhD, as Chief Technical Officer, positioning the clinical-stage oncology company for its anticipated advancement into late-stage development. The newly created CTO role reflects ORIC's preparation for potential Phase 3 trials of its lead candidates ORIC-944 and enozertinib, which could begin in 2026.
Strategic Leadership Addition
Dr. Brodbeck brings more than 25 years of experience leading technical operations, quality assurance, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC), and regulatory activities across pharmaceutical products at all stages of development and commercialization. His appointment comes as ORIC approaches a critical inflection point in its clinical development programs.
"We are excited to welcome Kevin to the ORIC leadership team," said Jacob M. Chacko, MD, president and chief executive officer. "As we approach the potential initiation of Phase 3 trials next year for ORIC-944 and enozertinib, CMC and Technical Operations will become increasingly critical, and we have been fortunate to identify in Kevin a seasoned leader with a multi-decade experience leading these critical functions."
Extensive Industry Experience
Dr. Brodbeck previously served as Chief Technical and Development Operations Officer at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, where he led Pharmaceutical Sciences (CMC), Supply Chain, Clinical Operations, and Program Management functions. He co-led strategic portfolio governance for the company through its acquisition by Ono and beyond, working to expand Qinlock® internationally and prepare Romvimza™ for approval and launch in the US and EU.
Prior to Deciphera, he served as SVP of Technical Operations at Nektar Therapeutics, leading development programs across oncology, immunotherapy, anti-infective, and pain therapeutics from early development to commercial stages. At Nektar, he managed the global CMC development and manufacturing organization, including product and process development, analytical sciences, internal and external manufacturing, quality assurance and control, and supply chain management.
Dr. Brodbeck holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Pipeline Advancement
ORIC's clinical-stage pipeline includes two key product candidates approaching late-stage development. ORIC-944 is an allosteric inhibitor of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) via the EED subunit, being developed for prostate cancer. Enozertinib (ORIC-114) is a brain penetrant inhibitor that selectively targets EGFR exon 20, HER2 exon 20 and EGFR atypical mutations, being developed across multiple genetically defined cancers.
"I'm thrilled to join ORIC as the company makes this pivotal transition into late-stage development," said Dr. Brodbeck. "I look forward to working with the entire ORIC team to prepare for the potential start of multiple registrational trials next year and the eventual commercialization of innovative therapies that address cancer resistance to improve patients' lives."
Company Focus
ORIC Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patients' lives by overcoming resistance in cancer. The company maintains offices in South San Francisco and San Diego, California, and continues to advance its mission of developing treatments that address mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in oncology.
