Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. announced the appointment of Alan Sandler, M.D., to the position of executive vice president and chief medical officer. In his role, Dr. Sandler will provide leadership and direction over clinical development and operations, regulatory affairs, drug safety and asset development strategy and report to David Meek, chief executive officer. As part of the transition, Dr. James Christensen, executive vice president and chief scientific officer, will also report to Mr. Meek.

Most recently, Dr. Sandler was president and global head of oncology for Zai Lab where he led global oncology development for the company. He joins Mirati with over 30 years of oncology and drug development experience across industry and academia. Previously, Dr. Sandler was the senior vice president and global head of oncology product development at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

He has also held academic roles at Oregon Health and Science University, Indiana University and Vanderbilt University. Dr. Sandler holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Rush Medical College and completed his training in internal medicine and a fellowship in medical oncology at Yale-New Haven Medical Center. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed publications including peer-reviewed articles, reviews, abstracts and book chapters.

In addition, the Company announced that Dr. Charles M. Baum, M.D., Ph.D., president, founder and head of R&D will retire in the second quarter of 2023 after nearly 30 years of service to the biopharmaceutical industry. Dr. Baum previously served as president and chief executive officer of the Company from 2012-2021. Under his leadership, Mirati transformed into a precision oncology company focused on advancing drug discovery and research and delivering novel therapeutics that target the genetic and immunologic drivers of cancer.

Prior to joining Mirati, Dr. Baum held senior leadership roles at Pfizer and Schering-Plough. Dr. Baum's career has also included academic and hospital positions at Stanford and Emory universities. Dr. Sandler and Dr. Baum will work closely together to ensure a smooth and efficient transition into the second quarter of 2023.