SHANGHAI and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688) a patient-focused, innovative, commercial-stage, global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Rafael G. Amado, M.D. as President, Head of Global Oncology Research and Development, effective December 30, 2022. Dr. Amado brings to Zai Lab deep expertise in the field of oncology and significant global biopharmaceutical R&D leadership.

“We are pleased to welcome Rafael to our executive leadership team,” said Dr. Samantha Du, Founder, Chairperson, and CEO of Zai Lab. “Rafael’s experience leading worldwide discovery and clinical development for a number of oncology products will help us deliver on our goal of becoming a leading global biopharmaceutical company.”

Dr. Amado will report to Dr. Du and will be a key member of the Company’s executive committee. He will be responsible for leading and overseeing the Company’s global oncology research and development activities.

“I look forward to joining Zai Lab and working with its experienced and able leadership and R&D teams to continue to grow and develop the company’s global oncology programs,” said Dr. Amado. “Zai Lab has made significant progress in building its R&D capabilities over the last several years, and I am excited to help catalyze the acceleration of these existing and upcoming programs, increasing our ability to address unmet medical needs of patients in China and around the world.”

Dr. Amado joins Zai Lab from Allogene Therapeutics, Inc., where he has served as Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer since September 2019. Prior to Allogene, Dr. Amado served as President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Adaptimmune, LLC from August 2018 to July 2019 and as Chief Medical Officer from March 2015 to July 2018. In these roles, he was responsible for directing discovery and clinical development strategy as well as execution activities for several gene-engineered cell therapies, chairing the R&D leadership team and providing medical guidance for pipeline prioritization. Prior to Adaptimmune, Dr. Amado held various roles of increasing responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline from 2008 to 2015, most recently as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Oncology Research and Development, and at Amgen Inc. from 2003 to 2008, where he was last Executive Director of Clinical Research and Global Development in Therapeutic Oncology. In these roles, he has been instrumental in the development of multiple medicines across therapeutic modalities. Prior to joining Amgen, he held academic roles at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology / Oncology. Dr. Amado received an M.D. from the University of Seville School of Medicine in Seville, Spain and completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center and a fellowship in Hematology / Oncology at UCLA.

About Zai Lab

Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688) is an innovative, research-based, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company based in China and the United States focused on bringing transformative medicines for oncology, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders to patients in China and around the world. Our goal is to leverage our competencies and resources to positively impact human health worldwide.

For additional information about Zai Lab, including our products, business activities and partnerships, research, and other events or developments, please visit www.zailaboratory.com and follow us at www.twitter.com/ZaiLab_Global.

Zai Lab Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about future expectations, plans, and prospects, including, without limitation, statements relating to the prospects and plans for Zai Lab’s management, operations, and growth potential. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release are forward-looking statements, and can be identified by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” and other similar expressions. Such statements constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees or assurances of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on our expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions, or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including but not limited to (1) our ability to successfully commercialize and generate revenue from our approved products, (2) our ability to obtain funding for our operations and business initiatives, (3) the results of our clinical and pre-clinical development of our product candidates, (4) the content and timing of decisions made by the relevant regulatory authorities regarding regulatory approvals of our product candidates, (5) the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including any government actions or lockdown measures taken in response, on our business and general economic, regulatory, and political conditions, (6) risks related to doing business in China, and (7) other factors identified in our most recent annual and quarterly reports and in other reports we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our expectations and assumptions to change, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Our SEC filings can be found on our website at www.zailaboratory.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

For more information, please contact:

Media: Christine Drury / Xiaoyu Chen
+1 (317) 385-9227 / +86 185 0015 5011
christine.drury@zailaboratory.com / xiaoyu.chen@zailaboratory.com

Investor Relations: Lina Zhang
+86 136 8257 6943
lina.zhang@zailaboratory.com

Zai Lab Limited