Stockholm, Sweden – April 8 2024 – OncoZenge AB (publ), a leading pharmaceutical company developing BupiZenge™, an innovative, non-opioid treatment for oral pain, today announces that Dr. Paolo Bossi joins its Advisory Board.
The OncoZenge Advisory Board was established in December 2023 with the objective of supporting the company in its efforts to lead BupiZenge™ through clinical development, market introduction and commercialization, with Dr Stephen Sonis and Dr Pooja Nandwani Patel as founding members.
The company is pleased to now welcome Dr Paolo Bossi, Medical Oncologist and Associate Professor of Medical Oncology and Head of the Head and Neck Cancer Unit at the Humanitas University in Milan, Italy, to the Advisory Board.
“We are honored Dr Paolo Bossi, a highly accomplished medical oncologist with long experience from medical research in both cancer and cancer supportive care, has offered his support to our team and company on the mission to bring our drug candidate to the patients who need it”, says Stian Kildal, CEO of OncoZenge. “Dr Bossi’s insights will prove invaluable as he brings an important European perspective ahead of our Phase 3 clinical trial for Europe currently in planning. In addition, Dr Bossi’s deep experience as Chair of the Mucositis study group at MASCC (Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer) will be instrumental both for our near-term activities to progress BupiZenge towards market approval, as well as for the development of new pipeline candidates.”
Dr Paolo Bossi commented, “I have followed OncoZenge for some time and recognize a clear need for a more effective, non-opioid pain management solution for the many cancer patients who suffer from oral pain during their radiation and chemotherapies. Today’s standard of care severely impacts not only patients’ quality of life, but also their prognosis due to non-adherence to treatment, weight loss and prolonged recovery times due to the oral pain and difficulty of maintaining proper nutrition. I look forward to supporting OncoZenge on their mission to bring their innovation to patients.”
About Dr Paolo Bossi
Paolo Bossi is a Medical Oncologist, Associate Professor and Head of the Head and Neck Cancer Unit at the Humanitas University and Humanitas Cancer Center in Milan, Italy.
He is involved in all institutional research activities on head and neck cancer, from translational research (gene expression, next generation sequencing) to assessment of quality of life and value-based medicine. He is particularly dedicated to rare cancer among head and neck cancers (paranasal sinus cancer, adnexal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, salivary gland cancer). He has strong experience with medical treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer, designing and conducting trials with targeted therapy and immunotherapy. He has a strong commitment to supportive care, specifically for what concerns mucositis induced by cancer therapies. He collaborates with the Italian Network on Rare Tumors, a collaborative effort among Italian cancer centers, which tries to exploit distant patient sharing to improve quality of care and diminish health migration for rare solid cancers. He is the Principal Investigator and co-investigator of several Italian and International trials on Head and Neck cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer.
Current responsibilities include;
ESMO – Member of ESMO head and neck group and supportive and palliative care group
EORTC Head and Neck Group – Co-chair of the Older Adult Council at EORTC
MASCC – Chair of the Mucositis Study group for the period 2021-2024
AIOM (Italian Association of Medical Oncology)
AIOCC (Italian Association of head and Neck Oncology)
President of NICSO (Italian Network for Supportive Care in Oncology)
Board of Director of GONO (Gruppo Oncologico Nord Ovest)
Member of the SIOG Task Force on the Quality of Life in Older Cancer Patients
Member of the Head and Neck Cancer International Group Translational Research committee
BupiZenge™ – Potential to be the leading treatment for oral pain.
For additional information, please contact:
Stian Kildal, CEO, mobile: +46 76 115 3797, e-mail: stian.kildal@oncozenge.se
Certified Adviser
OncoZenge’s Certified Adviser is Carnegie Investment Bank AB (publ).
OncoZenge AB
Gustavslundsvägen 34, 167 51 Stockholm, Sweden
About OncoZenge
OncoZenge develops a novel, effective, safe and well-tolerated treatment for oral pain in conditions where currently available treatment options either do not achieve sufficient pain relief or are associated with significant side effects. BupiZenge™ is a new oral lozenge formulation of bupivacaine, an anaesthetic with decades of clinical experience. OncoZenge's lead indication is oral pain due to an inflammatory condition called oral mucositis that affects millions of patients receiving cancer treatment. Oral mucositis causes profound physical and psychological suffering, and is a large unmet medical need for an effective, opioid-sparing treatment option. BupiZenge™ has shown significantly better pain relief compared to standard of care in this indication in a Phase 2 trial.
OncoZenge has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, and its share is publicly traded on Nasdaq First North Growth Market under the ticker ONCOZ.