ANN ARBOR–Sling Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on late-stage development of an oral small molecule for the treatment of thyroid eye disease, announced the appointment of Ken Lock as Chief Commercial Officer.
Ryan Zeidan, president and CEO of Sling, said Lock “brings deep expertise across marketing, sales and market access in competitive markets along with a proven track record building and leading high-performing commercial organizations, which will be instrumental as we advance linsitinib to a confirmatory Phase 3 study in patients with thyroid eye disease. Ken shares our deep commitment to improving the lives of patients and their families, and we look forward to working alongside him to help deliver linsitinib to the people who need it most.”
“Joining Sling Therapeutics at this pivotal stage in the development of linsitinib is an exciting opportunity,” shared Lock, who brings extensive U.S. and global commercial leadership experience to his role. “Linsitinib has the potential to be a transformative oral small molecule therapy for TED patients, offering a compelling and convenient alternative to currently available treatments. I am excited to join this highly accomplished team as we work to address the significant unmet needs of TED patients.”
Most recently, Lock served as chief commercial officer at Acelyrin, where he led the commercial, medical affairs, and alliance management functions in the TED market. Lock also served as chief commercial officer at Arcutis Biotherapeutics, where he built and led a team of over 130 people and was responsible for the launch and brand development of Zoryve. Prior to that, he held sales and marketing roles of increasing responsibility at Gilead Sciences, Amgen, and Wyeth (now Pfizer). Lock holds an MBA from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and dual bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees in biochemistry and cell biology and psychology from the University of California, San Diego.
Thyroid Eye Disease is a serious, progressive, and vision-threatening rare autoimmune disease that affects approximately 70,000 people in the U.S. and has a similar prevalence in the EU. TED often occurs in people living with Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism and is caused by dysfunction in the IGF-1R signaling pathway, which results in fibrous tissue growth behind the eyes. This leads to several negative symptoms that may have long-term, irreversible damage as the tissue growth pushes the eyes forward or causes the eyes and eyelids to become red and swollen. As the disease progresses, it can lead to pain, eye bulging (proptosis), and double vision (diplopia), thus dramatically impacting a patient’s quality of life. TED predominantly affects women, and most frequently affects people with hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease. The current standard of care typically involves either invasive orbital surgery or a lengthy series of infusions with potential adverse events like loss of hearing, hyperglycemia, or menstrual cycle changes.
Sling’s lead product candidate, linsitinib, has the potential to be the first oral IGF-1R inhibitor to treat thyroid eye disease, a disease with a significant unmet need, as current treatment options are limited to invasive orbital surgery or a lengthy series of infusions. Sling aims to bring a convenient oral therapy to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce physician and healthcare system burden. For more information, visit www.slingtx.com.