A Cincinnati-based biotech startup has added the former president of global personal health care of Procter & Gamble to its board of directors.
Eikonoklastes Therapeutics, a biotech firm that aims to treat cancers and other diseases using novel immunotherapies, named retired P&G President of Global Personal Health Care Tom Finn to its board of directors. Finn also served as president of P&G Pharmaceuticals.
“Tom is a recognized leader in the biopharmaceutical industry as well as in the healthcare industry more broadly," Eikonoklastes CEO Bruce Halpryn, who is also a P&G alum, said in a news release. "His extensive corporate strategy experience will be instrumental as we develop innovative medicines to treat people with cancer and several other diseases with significant unmet clinical need.”
Eikonoklstes Therapeutics aims to advance technology engineered in Ohio State University's James Cancer Center by Dr. Zhiwei Hu, under license from the Ohio State Innovation Foundation.
That technology, a compound called L-ICON3, can treat triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 15% of all breast cancers. People diagnosed with it survive on average about 18 months.
The compound is also expected to help combat other diseases such as ovarian cancer, metastatic melanoma and endometriosis.
“The Eikonoklastes technology is very promising and has the potential to offer tremendous advances in the treatment of multiple diseases with significant unmet need, beginning with triple-negative breast cancer," Finn said in a news release.
While head of global personal health care at P&G, Finn oversaw the $4 billion acquisition of Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA's Consumer Health business.
Prior to serving as the president of global personal health care at P&G, Finn held roles as vice president of North American Pharmaceuticals, global strategic planning and new business development; vice president of worldwide strategic planning and new business development; and general manager of pharmaceuticals.
Finn also sits on the board of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Hamilton College.
Eikonoklastes in July closed a seed round of funding led by local investor CincyTech.
