Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

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kmall
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Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by kmall » Mon Jul 18, 2022 4:45 pm

Nishan Sengupta - Vice President, Market-Access, Pricing, Evidence Strategy, Geron Corporation

Hired August 2021:

8/19/2021 - FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) reported that it has granted non-statutory stock options to purchase an aggregate of 550,000 shares of Geron common stock as inducements to newly hired employees in connection with commencement of employment with the Company. Nishan Sengupta was one of these employees.

Nishan Sengupta's CURRENT and former employers include: JNJ, Roche and Abbott Laboratories

Nishan Sengupta Is CURRENTLY employed at JNJ as well as Geron. He had been employed at JNJ for over 17yrs.

Nishan Sengupta's CURRENT title at JNJ is: Global/US Access Strategy Lead-IMBRUVICA, B-Cell, Rare Hem - August 2019 - PRESENT

Nishan Sengupta's previous job titles at JNJ include:

1 - Global Market Access Leader- Oncology/Hematology - Jan 2012 - Aug 2021 9 yrs 8 mos

2 - Market Access Leader Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) & CV Worldwide Market Access - 2010 - Feb 2012 2 yrs 2 mos

3 - Director-Worldwide Health Economics & Pricing- Cardiovascular - 2007 - Jan 2010 3 yrs 1 mo

4 - Director- Health Outcomes & Clinical Registry at Scios/JNJ - 2005 - 2007 2 yrs 1 mo

Nishan Sengupta has a PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California and is currently associated with the Harvard Business School.........

**This brings up a litany of questions and now ratchets up the debate of: has JNJ ever "truly" left the Geron building ??

Looking at Nishan Sengupta's current job title at JNJ, he is the Global/US Access Strategy Lead-IMBRUVICA.........

Remember who else worked with IMBRUVICA while at JNJ/Janssen ????

1 - Dr. Aleksandra Rizo - Senior Medical Advisor, former CMO, Geron Corporation

2 - Anil Kapur - Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Chief Commercial Officer, Geron Corporation

3 - Laurie Sherman - Vice President, Clinical Science and Operations, Geron Corporation

4 - Ying Wan - Vice President, Biometrics, Geron Corporation

5 - Libo Sun - Senior Director Biostatistics at Geron Corporation


I'd say that it's safe to assume.......once again....

The plot thickens. -Kmall

kmall
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Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by kmall » Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:26 pm

Also remember the Pre-Clinical Lymphoid Malignancy studies that Geron is CURRENTLY conducting at MD Anderson Cancer Center which are due by the end of the year.

Notice the B-Cell in the job title of Nishan Sengupta's position at JNJ.......??

Nishan Sengupta - Global/US Access Strategy Lead-IMBRUVICA, B-Cell, Rare Hem - (August 2019 - present)


B-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that originates in the B-cells. It is the most common type of lymphoma and about 85% of all lymphomas in the United States are B-cell.

Go back and read my "A Purple Squirrel & Venetoclax Combo - AML & Lymphoid Market Potential" series here on Imetechat, posted November 28, 2021.......

http://imetelchat.imetelstat.eu/imetelc ... f=1&t=1242

Global Lymphoid Malignancy market dwarfs MDS, MF and AML combined, multiple times over.

There is a reason that JNJ sent Nishan Sengupta over to Geron.

In my opinion, of course. :) -Kmall

rccola335
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Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by rccola335 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:23 am

This is interesting because right before the JNJ decision to discontinue they had placed the add looking for pricing managers for imbruvica and imetelstat in Europe - I still have a copy of that posting

kmall
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Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by kmall » Wed Jul 20, 2022 1:13 pm

@rccola335

If this doesn't scream that JNJ firmly has a foot in the Geron door, I don't know what else would?

The migration of the Imetelstat Janssen development team to Geron - amongst other hires associated with Janssen and their Geron/Imetelstat collaboration, the NJ satellite office and now the CURRENT - JNJ - Global/US Access Strategy Lead-IMBRUVICA, B-Cell, Rare Hem having a dual position at Geron as Vice President, Market-Access, Pricing, Evidence Strategy clearly shows that JNJ and Geron never really "parted ways."

My guess here......and of course it's only a guess, is that towards the end of their business partnership - early 2018...... around March - JNJ wanted a total BO. The original deal was heavily favorable for Geron.......$1B + 20% royalties (give or take), was a big pill to swallow with an additional P3 on the horizon......Dr. Scarlett wanted a fair amount for Imetelstat, kit & kaboodle. More than JNJ was willing to fork over without P3 results and the ever growing media attention of talc powder lawsuits at the time.....

Let Geron/Dr. Scarlett go back to finish up P3 with 100% of commercial rights......he gets to broker a deal for EX-US Partnership and once P3 results are confirmed they sign on the dotted line.

They have a fairly clear picture of what P3 results are at this point, no big surprises, they mirror P2......hence the Dr. Rizo departure as CMO now.

Everyone seems fixated on P3 TLR when I think that a "major" BO offer is contingent on the Pre-Clinical Lymphoid Malignancy results at MD Anderson due by the end of this year. Global patient Lymphoid Malignancy numbers are in the TENS of millions. A total game changer for Imetelstat and it's market potential. And remember that one of Dr. Rizo's "specialties" - if you will - is Lymphoid Malignancies......she was involved with several Lymphoma programs while at Janssen:

"Previously, Dr. Rizo was Global Clinical Leader for the ibrutinib mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) program and was responsible for all MCL studies led by Janssen. During her initial tenure with Janssen, Dr. Rizo worked on a variety of Velcade clinical trials in lymphoma and multiple myeloma."

The big question for me is why Dr. Rizo is at Vividion now and how, if at all could Imetelstat somehow play a part in their future platforms?

I thought that Novartis would be a front runner for the EX-US Partnership with Geron and their EU marketing rights of JAKafi for an Imetelstat/JAKafi combo there.......and that still could be the case, but her departure as CMO - while keeping a foot in the Geron door as a Scientific Medical Advisor - at a critical "inflection point" for Geron raises more than a question or two.

Perhaps this poor chap struggles on with neverending questions and scenarios as they play out in his twisted mind ??? -Kmall

rccola335
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Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by rccola335 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:03 pm

i would like to post a copy of the JNJ job posting but cannot - this is getting interesting

rccola335
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Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:00 pm

Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by rccola335 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:07 pm

This is a highly strategic role within the EMEA HEMAR team that will be responsible for managing a cutting-edge portfolio of products that can transform the lives of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), Follicular Lymphoma (FL), Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). As well as leading pricing for Imbruvica, one of Janssen’s key growth drivers over the coming years, the role will also be accountable for shaping our pricing approach for Imetelstat
this was the job posting summary - imetelstat was for MDS and AML - the AML was a surprise as was the lack of myelofibrosis for imetelstat

kmall
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Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by kmall » Thu Jul 28, 2022 3:19 pm

@rccola335

From the job description you posted here dated August 2018.......

".....the role will also be accountable for shaping our pricing approach for Imetelstat."

As of August 2021, Nishan Sengupta has been with Geron as: Vice President, Market-Access, Pricing, Evidence Strategy.........

While continuing his employment at JNJ as: Global/US Access Strategy Lead-IMBRUVICA, B-Cell, Rare Hem, since August 2019 to today.

Prior to this title at JNJ, he was: Global Market Access Leader- Oncology/Hematology.

I've read more than one post on other forums claiming that his job profile is outdated.

I highly doubt that an employee in a position like Mr. Sengupta, with the history between Geron and JNJ wouldn't take the time to update his profile, especially given the "discontinuation" in September 2018.

Even if this were the case and he was no longer with JNJ, then I would think that this would provide stronger evidence on the efficacy of Imetelstat and Geron's future in the Hematological space. Why would a 17yr employee of JNJ, who has ONLY worked in Big Pharma his entire career, suddenly jump ship to an up and coming Biotech with less than $1B MC ???

Besides Dr. Rizo climbing aboard 4 months after the JNJ "discontinuation," I see Nishan Sengupta as the strongest connection that the two companies are perhaps still working in tandem, albeit without a formal contract if you will. Surely Nishan Sengupta knew of the history between the two companies. As far as I'm concerned, it appears to me that he is here for a very specific reason. And the fact that he comes in approximately 18-24 months BEFORE an NDA is submitted with the FDA (mid 2023 approx) is hinting that P3 IMerge results mirror P2.

Of course, IMO -Kmall

*more recent hires to come. Stay tuned.

rccola335
Posts: 305
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:00 pm

Re: Geron has a Vice President of Market-Access Pricing, Evidence Strategy who is STILL employed with JNJ......

Post by rccola335 » Fri Jul 29, 2022 3:29 am

this is to closely aligned with the job posting from 2018 to be a coincidence - I have sent an email to Geron to confirm but have not heard anything back as of yet

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