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Preston S. Klassen

Preston S. Klassen

Preston S. Klassen

CMO

 

Preston S. Klassen, M.D., M.H.S joined Sanifit in June 2016 as our Chief Medical Officer and President of the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Dr. Klassen is a nephrologist with over 14 years of industry experience in clinical development, regulatory and executive management.

Prior to joining Sanifit, from November 2009 to May 2016, Dr. Klassen was on the management team at Orexigen Therapeutics, most recently serving as Executive Vice President, Head of Global Development. During this time, he led global development and approvals for Contrave® / Mysimba®, an oral therapeutic indicated for chronic weight management. From June 2002 to November 2009, Dr. Klassen worked at Amgen, holding positions of increasing responsibility including Therapeutic Area Head for Nephrology, where he was responsible for the clinical development aspects of the company’s renal franchise. Dr. Klassen’s experience includes all aspects of Phase 1-4 clinical development across renal, diabetes, and other cardiometabolic diseases. He has led global regulatory filings, including NDA and sNDA submissions, U.S. FDA Advisory Committee hearings, and the development and execution of multiple large cardiovascular outcomes trials. Dr. Klassen has experience with the clinical commercialization activities for multiple marketed products in nephrology, including EPOGEN®, Aranesp®, and Sensipar®.

Prior to joining industry, from July 1997 to June 2002, Dr. Klassen was a faculty member in the Division of Nephrology at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. Dr. Klassen received his M.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine, fellowship in Nephrology, and M.H.S. degree at Duke University.