Antengene Corp. has appointed Thomas Karalis as head of Asia Pacific Regions. In this position, company executives say Karalis is responsible for the commercialization of Antengene products in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and ASEAN regions and reports directly to John Chin, chief business officer of Antengene.

Antengene Corporation Appoints Former Celgene ANZ General Manager Thomas Karalis as Head of Asia Pacific Regions

“As we prepare to launch ATG-010 (selinexor) in China, we also continue to seek global opportunities to expand our presence and commercialization of our future pipeline.” Chin says. “I am confident that Tom, a seasoned industry leader with a proven track record, will accelerate the growth of a world-class commercial team for Antengene and bring value to cancer patients across the region.”

Management says Karalis is a seasoned industry leader with more than 30 years of experience working at several multinational biopharmaceutical companies in Australia and across multiple Asia Pacific countries/regions.

“Equipped with exceptional commercial leadership and strategic thinking, Tom has effectively initiated numerous critical initiatives in geographic expansion, enterprise design and portfolio transformation,” management says.

Before joining Antengene, he was the general manager for Celgene East Asia and VP and general manager for Celgene Australia and New Zealand, where he made “outstanding” accomplishments in general management and commercial strategies.

Karalis spent eight years at Celgene, during which multiple regulatory and reimbursement milestones were achieved for core products in APAC markets leading to successful launches of Revlimid (lenalidomide), Pomalyst (pomalidomide), and Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension). Before Celgene, he served as general manager for Abbott Nutrition in the Philippines and BMS in Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore, and held senior positions at Eli Lilly in South Korea and Pharmacia.

“Today, Antengene is at critical stage to accelerate its growth in Asia pacific market,” says Dr. Jay Mei, chairman and CEO of Antengene. “Our vision is to treat patients beyond boarders, which drives us to meet the unmet medical needs by bringing innovative therapies to cancer patients in the region and worldwide. We are glad that Tom is joining the Antengene team and with his proven successful track record as a commercial leader, Tom will further strengthen our ability to deliver meaningful results and grow our footprint in Australia and the other countries/regions now and into the future.”

“I am delighted to be joining Antengene at this exciting time,” Karalis says. “Dr. Jay Mei has built an impressive company with a talented team that is rapidly developing an innovative portfolio of cancer therapies. I am looking forward to working with Jay, John, and the entire Antengene team to commercialize our portfolio and fulfill our mission of treating patients beyond borders as we build an industry-leading cancer company.”