Hepion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:HEPA) appointed Eddie Cheung, M.D., FACG, to lead the company’s strategic medical affairs in Asia, a newly-created position.
Dr. Cheung will explore and identify possible partnerships, and will liaise with national and regional regulatory authorities and thought leaders to advance Hepion’s clinical development strategy for rencofilstat in China and other parts of Asia.
“For over 50 years, Dr. Cheung has been involved in research, teaching and clinical practice in various areas of gastroenterology and hepatology, advancing the understanding and use of new treatments for fatty liver disease; hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC; and viral hepatitis, and we are honored that he has accepted this key role,” Dr. Robert Foster, PharmD, Ph.D. and CEO of Hepion, said in a statement.
“We are extremely confident in his ability to spearhead our business development and partnering efforts for rencofilstat, our lead candidate in clinical development for the treatment of NASH, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and HCC in Asia,” Dr. Foster said.
Dr. Cheung said, “I have been involved, both on a regional and international level, in a number of efforts in the fight against gastrointestinal and liver diseases, particularly liver cancer and viral hepatitis, so I am excited to continue this journey with Hepion.”
Approximately 75% of the world’s cases of liver cancer occur in Asia, and China alone bears more than half of the world’s liver cancer burden, so “I am looking forward to working with the Hepion team to help realize rencofilstat’s full potential,” he added.
Dr. Cheung’s current appointments include Prof. of gastroenterology/hepatology, academic leader and director of hepatology, and doctoral supervisor at the Seventh Affiliated Hospital at Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, China.
In addition, he has been Prof. of internal medicine, clinical nutrition and gastroenterology/hepatology at the California Northstate University College of Medicine, as well as clinical Prof. of internal medicine and gastroenterology/hepatology at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine. He also is on the national board of directors and the medical advisory board of the American Liver Foundation.
Dr. Cheung also has held the post of honorary Prof. at the 302 Military Hospital, Translational Hepatology Institute of the Capital Medical University in Beijing and honorary director of Sino-U.S. International Liver Disease Center at the Zhejiang University Shulan Health Group, Hangzhou, China.
Dr. Cheung founded the Asian Cancer Coalition and was a member of the Coalition to Eradicate Viral Hepatitis in Asia Pacific, as well as the U.S. National Task Force for hepatitis B.
He was previously the chair, Asian-American Pacific Islander Workgroup of the American Cancer Society and served on the clinical faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine.
